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Telluride awarded best overall ski resort at Mountain Travel Symposium

Dennis Romboy
·3 min read
Skiers Ryan Brennan and Pete Dunn, of Telluride, Colo., ski between the trees in the deep powder snow at the Telluride Ski Resort on March 10, 2006.
Skiers Ryan Brennan and Pete Dunn, of Telluride, Colo., ski between the trees in the deep powder snow at the Telluride Ski Resort on March 10, 2006. | NATHAN BILOW

Users of a popular snow sports website and app chose Telluride as the best ski resort in North America in its annual Visitors’ Choice Awards for the 2023-2024 season.

OnTheSnow.com’s users, who collectively take millions of ski trips each winter, rated and reviewed resorts they’ve visited based on several characteristics, including all-mountain terrain, après-ski and family activities. The award was announced Thursday at the Mountain Travel Symposium in North Lake Tahoe.

“We’re honored for the recognition, much of which goes to our amazing team of folks who have created the experience here,” Chuck Horning, owner of Telluride Ski Resort, said in a press release. “We are also mindful that there are many great resorts in Colorado, and it is tough to say one is better so we are grateful to be recognized.”

Set in a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, Telluride has 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, divided between challenging chutes, bowls, steeps, bumps and wide-open groomers. Its 4,425 feet of vertical drop is the most vertical of any ski resort in the U.S. OnTheSnow users rated it as the best resort for all-mountain terrain the past two seasons.

Telluride also has the first and only free public transportation system of its kind in the U.S., a gondola that links the towns of Telluride and Mountain Village. The 12-minute ride offers views of the surrounding mountains and provides easy access to its food and aprés-ski scene.

“OnTheSnow users leave thousands of reviews each ski season for the resorts they’ve visited,” said Chad Dyer, managing director of Mountain News, publishers of OnTheSnow. “The Visitors’ Choice Awards are the culmination of the ski season, when we get to honor those resorts that OnTheSnow users have rated the top in North America.”

Six other ski resorts, including four more in Colorado, took top honors in various categories in OnTheSnow’s Visitors’ Choice Awards:

Best All-Mountain Terrain — Jackson Hole features 2,500 acres of in-bounds terrain on two mountains, plus an open backcountry gate system that accesses more than 3,000 acres of terrain.

Best Ski Area for Beginners — Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts is the largest ski resort in southern New England, with one-third of its ski runs for beginners.

Best Terrain Park — Breckenridge is home to three progression-focused parks and a high-speed lift to provide park riders fast and easy access.

Best Après-Ski — Aspen Snowmass offers a variety of spots for eating and drinking on four mountains and two towns.

Most Family-Friendly Ski Resort — Winter Park provides unique activities designed for families, including GlowNight snow tubing, nature snowshoe tours, and the snowcat and s’mores tour.

Best Small Ski Resort — Wolf Creek has 1,600 acres of skiable terrain, 133 named runs and 42 miles of trails, and is one of the snowiest ski areas in Colorado.