So, you’re looking for a Colorado mountain town to call home? I spent an awesome winter living, working, and snowboarding in Telluride, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for the ski bum experience.
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| the beautiful town of Telluride |
What’s so great about Telluride anyway? Allow me to explain.
- The slopes aren’t as crowded as other resorts. Telluride is a six hour drive from the cities on the Front Range (Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder), so you don’t have any of the weekend warriors coming for a few days and hogging the slopes.
- It’s one of the most scenic towns in Colorado. Literally, everywhere you go in the entire town, there is a beautiful mountain view.
- It’s a small community of ski bums, so you eventually meet everyone.
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| you get to shred for free |
Alright, you’re sold. So, where should you work?
- The main company in town is Telluride Ski & Golf. They give employees a free season pass, free ski and snowboard lessons, half price tickets for your friends, a stipend for the employee housing complex, restaurant discounts, and decent pay.
- There are also independent hotels that offer housing, pay for most of your season pass, and offer a decent wage. Check out Hotel Madeline, Franz Klammer, and the Peaks.
- If you end up working for Telluride Ski & Golf, the majority of the jobs are in the restaurants and outside jobs, like lift ops and ticket checkers. The restaurant employees get to work inside and eat free food, but the lifties get cool uniforms. There are benefits to both.
Right, you have a job now. Where should you live?
- If you don’t know anyone you should just rent a room at Big Billies, the employee housing apartment complex. The rooms are tiny; they just have a bed, a bathroom, and a kitchenette (which is a good reason to invest in a Snowboard Wall Mount). It’s pretty much where everyone who’s new to town lives, and it’s a good way to meet people. Not to mention you get a $200 housing stipend if you work for Telluride Ski & Golf.
- If you have a group of friends moving to Telluride, check out Craigslist to see about getting a house in town. You can catch a free gondola from town to get to the mountain for work and shredding. Before you commit to a place, check out Google Maps to make sure it’s within walking distance of the gondola.
- If you’re trying to score some less expensive housing and you don’t mind driving to the mountain every day, try looking for a place in a close by town, such as Rico, Ridgeway, Ouray, Norwood, or Placerville. This is a great option if you’re looking for a place with your significant other and the two of you can carpool daily.