Source: Telluride Consulting 

Source: Telluride Consulting

September 2 , 2020 Press Contact: Nancy Clark
For Immediate Release nclark@tellurideskiresort.com
603-986-5221

Telluride Ski & Golf prepares for the 20/21 ski season
Winter to look a little different than normal
Telluride, CO -- With the 20/21 ski season only 13 weeks away, Telluride Ski & Golf resort is
busy planning for winter operations.

“We plan to open on Thanksgiving Day (November 26),weather and COVID restrictions
permitting and close on April 4, 2021(Easter Sunday),” said Chuck Horning, majority owner in
the ski resort. “Our teams here have been working tirelessly to make this happen, and we all
appreciate their efforts.” The resort will have its annual Donation Day on Wednesday, November
25 with proceeds from the day’s $25 lift tickets going to the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club.

The ski resort is facing a challenging ski season due to reduction in visitors, decreased flights
and lodging/restaurant occupancy restrictions. While the resort is preparing for a significant drop
in revenue, the expenses required to run the mountain will remain constant in many areas, but
in general, it’s more costly to operate in the COVID environment. This season, there will be
additional expenses in crowd management, food service, sanitation and other COVID related
issues. The community should expect increases in prices to help offset some of these costs as
well as new lower price pass options with date restrictions during our busiest times to
accommodate capacity constraints brought on by COVID.

“The safety of our employees and guests are paramount to us,” added Horning, “This is a
significant part of our planning process right now.”

The ski resort is currently working on the purchase of temporary outdoor structures for socially
distanced food service operations, and investing in communication and ecommerce software to
offer “contactless” sales operations. Additionally, the mountain operations team is developing a
snowmaking and lift plan to safely spread skiers out around the mountain.
Horning went on to add, “we've had tough times before, and we remain committed to deliver a
quality experience this winter, facing many unknowns and constraints. What doesn't kill us
makes us stronger. We will work with this community to continue improving our mountain and
this year is no exception.”

This region’s economic sustainability, in spite of the years of economic growth, remains
marginal for many businesses, and for people who grow up here or relocate here for work. Over
the next few years, the ski resort plans to participate with the community to understand a path to
economic sustainability. They will work with merchants to strengthen the core economy,
something that is challenging for a remote “no-growth” community.

There are few successful models in Europe of resorts who are remote, intentionally limit growth
and are good places to raise a family. The ski area plans to continue to learn from them.
“We are in this for the long term. Folks here care about Telluride, and while there is a history of
fighting over the progress or lack thereof, today we enjoy amazing success from the creation of
communities, while preserving the quality of life, environmentally and culturally,” said Horning.
The long-standing issue that the community has struggled with is the lack of affordable
adequate housing.

To make progress with this issue, Horning commented “we will be moving forward with the
projects for which we have approval or are in progress, but that is only (27) units. We probably
need several hundred units, and this is doable. We need another Lawson Hill, which will require
zoning changes. Lawson Hill required a zoning change and it was controversial but, today, it
reflects what can be done. Opening up some land for employee housing is the only responsible
thing to do. With the growth limitations our communities have, we can carefully but safely and
without creating growth issues, solve our employee housing needs”

The last two months of COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being phased out and Telluride is ready for an amazing, albeit very different, summer. If you choose to visit Telluride this summer you will be welcomed, find sanctuary, and have comfort in our natural surroundings, people and wide open spaces. Please contact me directly for any information on Telluride and our real estate market. 

Here is my summary of current information and a link to San Miguel County's public health orders as of June 1, 2020:

• The 14-Quarantine for all visitors and second homeowners is no longer in effect.
• The Gondola will begin to run between Telluride and Mountain Village with COVID protocols June 15. 
• Hotels and professionally managed short-term rentals are open with 25% max occupancy with hopes to go to 50%  max occupancy by the end of June. 
• Virtual and in-person real estate showings and transactions are allowed with COVID protocols. 
• Restaurants are open with carry-out food and alcoholic drinks. Dine-In service is limited to 50% capacity. 
• Both Telluride and Mountain Village will have additional outdoor distance seating tables and chairs. 
• Off premise alcohol consumption when purchased in restaurant is allowed in Mountain Village and will soon be allowed in Telluride. 
• The Telluride Golf Club opens for Member only play on June 12. 
• The Telluride Mountain Bike Park will open June 26. 
• Retail stores are opening.
• Direct flights are available to Montrose (MTJ) from Denver, Dallas, Houston and Chicago.
• Direct flights are available to Telluride (TEX) from Denver 3 times per week. 
• Masks are required for all indoor public spaces in Telluride. 
• Hiking trails are open. 4x4 mountain passes will open slowly in conjunction with neighboring Counties.
• All regular Festivals and Events are cancelled through August. 
• Childcare and Day Camps may open with restrictions.
• Outfitters are open with COVID protocols. 

Here is Link to the June 1, 2020 San Miguel County Public Health Orders: CLICK HERE

JANUARY 2020:

• San Miguel County closed out a record-breaking year of real estate sales with the largest dollar volume month the county has ever seen with $96.9M in sales compared to December 2019.
• Downtick in dollar volume of sales in early 2020 to $48.6M
  • Common as many are trying to buy or sell at the end of the fiscal year for tax purposes
  • Jan ’20 was well above Jan ’19 with a 123.7% increase in dollar volume and 38.7% increase in number of sales for San Miguel County
  • Compared to the prior year average we are up 53% in total dollar volume and 14.3% increase in number of sales for January
• The Telluride market had a great start to the new year with $33M in sales compared to only $12M in Mountain Village the first month of Q1. However, Mountain Village and the surrounding county is a potential buyer’s market for Single Family Homes and condos with much lower price per square foot.

FEBRUARY 2020:

• February was another strong month for real estate in the county. The total dollar volume and number of transactions were up for February 2020 from both the prior year and the prior 5-year average. They were also higher than any February from 2015-2019. The total dollar volume (+45%) and total number of transactions (+13%) both showed an increase for 2020 YTD compared to the prior 5-year average. February represented the fifth straight month that dollar volume of sales per month exceeded that of the prior 5-year average for the same time period.
• By February of 2020, Telluride continued to be a place buyers were looking with $60M in sales Feb ’20 compared to $29M in sales Feb ’19.
  • Price per square foot of Telluride condos reached an all-time high of $1,252, mainly driven by the Telluride Transfer Condo sales.

MARCH 2020:

• We have yet to see how the global pandemic, COVID-19 will impact the local real estate market, but it is inevitable. The effects on the market will likely be seen beginning in May. The good news is there was a 38% increase in dollar volume in Q1 ’20 ($151.84M) compared to the prior 5-year average for Q1 ($110.06M). There was also a large uptick in the number of Telluride vacant land sales in March, 9 sales totaling $4.8M.
• For Q1, Telluride is seeing an increase in year to date dollar volume and number of sales. Mountain Village is seeing decreases in both number of monthly sales and number of year to date sales. In March there was strong activity in Telluride and Mountain Village Single Family Home sales and Vacant Properties in the remainder of the county (Elk Run, The Preserve, Ski Ranches and Aldasoro).
• Telluride continues to be a hot market with $86M total sales in Q1 2020 compared to $52M total sales for Mountain Village. Price per sf of Telluride Single Family Homes are at an all-time high of $1,272, mainly due to 3 Single Family Home sales in March at an average of $1,521 per sf. There were 4 Single Family Homes that sold in Mountain Village in March, with a combined average sale price of more than $5M, indicating a demand for larger homes with expansive views, ski access and high-end furnishings.

Telluride Top Picks is me - Robert Stenhammer; 7-year Telluride local, part-time Resort Executive, full-time Real Estate Broker and mountain lifestyle expert in Telluride, Colorado USA. I have a MBA in Hospitality and Tourism and an over 25 year career in resort management and operations. I like to think I know my stuff and my recommendations represent the best experience, service and value Telluride has to offer in food & beverage, activities, events and of course skiing! All of the following recommendations are easily found on-line for more information, pricing and reservations.

Here are my Top Picks for Winter 2020

Dinner Dining:

1. Alpino Vino
2. Allred’s
3. Sheridan Chop House
4. 221 South Oak
5. The Cosmopolitan
6. The National
7. Siam in Telluride and Siam’s Talay in Mountain Village
8. Rustico
9. Altezza at the Peaks Resort & Spa

On-Mountain Restaurants:

1. Bon Vivant
2. Gorrono Ranch
3. Alpino Vino
4. Giuseppie's

Mountain Village Lunch:

1. Tomboy Tavern
2. Wok of Joy Food Cart
3. Poachers Pub
4. Altezza at the Peaks Resort & Spa

Telluride Lunch:

1. Brown Dog Pizza
2. Taco Del Gnar
3. The Butcher & Baker
4. La Cocina De Luz

Telluride Bars:

1. Sheridan Bar
2. The Last Dollar “the Buck” Saloon
3. The Liberty
4. Fly Me to the Moon Saloon

Destination Lodging Hotels:

1. The Inn at Lost Creek
2. New Sheridan Hotel
3. The Peaks Resort & Spa
4. The Hotel Madeline Hotel and Residences
5. Lumiere

Destination Lodging Vacation Rentals:

1. Exceptional Stays
2. Invited Home
3. Telluride Resort Lodging
4. Alpine Lodging

Favorite Cruiser Ski Runs:

1. Milk Run
2. Bushwacker
3. Plunge
4. Lookout
5. Sundance
6. Marmot

Best Off-Resort Mountain Activities:

1. Heli-Skiing with Helitrax
2. Snowmobiling with Telluride Outfitters
3. The Telluride Historical Museum 
4. Nordic Skiing on the Valley Floor and Mountain Village
5. Ice Skating at Telluride Town Park or Mountain Village
6. Movies at the Nugget Theater

Best Music Venues:

1. ClubRed
2. Sheridan Opera House
3. Fly Me to the Moon Saloon
4. The Liberty