Colorado skiing: Tall peaks, small-town feel of Telluride

[...] if there's any one place I might call my favorite, it would probably be Telluride, a remote former mining town tucked in a majestic box canyon surrounded by 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks in southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains.

It immediately became our ski resort of choice, thanks to wide open slopes, stunning views, lack of lift lines and often more moderate temperature and sunny skies than Colorado's more northern slopes.

The closest commercial air service is to Montrose, which from many major airports still requires a commuter jet connection and then a one-and-a-half to two-hour drive, depending on weather.

What I like most about Telluride is that it's a real town, with real history and a genuine small town feel, not a manufactured Alpine village full of pricey designer stores.

[...] the opening a few years ago of the luxury Hotel Madeline and its accompanying restaurants, bars, retail and adjacent ice skating rink has re-energized Mountain Village.

Madeline, which has gotten some good press from top travel magazines, offers ski-in, ski-out accommodations starting in the $300-500 range nightly for winter weekends, is pet-friendly, has an onsite spa and is trying to encourage guests to check out summer and fall stays too.

Jensen says his goal is to tap into the momentum that the Hotel Madeline has brought and attract more retail, perhaps another luxury hotel and more condominiums while upgrading ski lifts, ski runs and making improvements to the golf course.