Telluride Beginner Skiing
Beginner skiers and riders should hit the slopes around Mountain Village first, then progress to more difficult terrain from there. There is an abundance of surface lifts and beginner learning zones around this base area.
Beginner Learning Zones Everywhere in Mountain Village!
You’ll find several carpet lifts for absolute beginners all around the Mountain Village area. These are perfect for first timers and small children. This is also where you will find the main ski school meetup area. Telluride has beginner ski programs for all ages, including toddlers in the nursery.
The photos directly above and below show the magic carpet learning area next to the gondola stations in Mountain Village (Station Mountain Village). This is also where you’ll find the ski school meetup area.
Meadows and the Chondola Area
Meadows is Telluride’s widest beginner ski trail and this is the trail that descends below Mountain Village next to the Peaks Resort & Spa.
Meadows is where you will find some of the easiest skiing on the mountain. This trail is flat and wide, and this is where you’ll find the youngest skiers starting to venture beyond the magic carpet lifts.
The Chondola
The Chondola only runs during the winter. It is free for foot passengers, but skiers and riders will need to have a lift ticket in order to ride the Chondola. You can read more about this unique lift here: Free Telluride Gondolas. This is the main chairlift that brings beginner skiers and riders back to the top of Meadows.
Ute Park
Beginners can get to the Ute Park lift from the top of the Sunshine Express. The Ute Park section of the mountain is dedicated to beginners. The ski trails are easy and there is a beginner terrain park here with small features to spice things up and make the area more fun.
The photo below shows the Ute Park lift with Palmyra Peak rising above in the background. One of the cool things about Ute Park is that it is located high up on the mountain, so beginners are not confined to the base area or just a few trails lower on the mountain.
The beginner ski trails around Ute Park are generally flat with sporadic islands of pine trees throughout. This is a cool environment for kids to visit, and this spot on the mountain has a view that you won’t find outside of the San Juan Mountains.
Beginner Terrain Below the Sunshine Express
All of the ski trails in this area have a green circle rating. The trails below the Sunshine Express bring beginners down from the Ute Park learning area, and these trails also give guests and residents access to a wide range of ski-in/ski-out properties along the descent.
The photos below shows the Double Cabin ski trail descending down the mountain. This same green circle trail goes directly by the free gondola parking garage and then continues onto the Meadows area and Big Billie’s Restaurant.
