Making Memories

Ryan Bonneau

STAY & PLAY

Digital Love Studio

Local lodgers expertly connect guests to unforgettable outdoor adventures

BY SAGE MARSHALL

From the moment visitors arrive in this corner of the San Juans, the outdoors and outdoor adventure seem to be at their fingertips. But figuring out how to actually get out there and explore — whether it’s cracking a Coors at the top of the iconic Wilson

Peak featured on the brewer’s logo or casting to native cutthroat trout on the Upper Dolores — can appear overwhelming or out of reach. Thankfully, if you’re staying at a local hotel or residence, all you need to do is ask. Telluride’s lodgers are expert at facilitating unforgettable adventures.

Ray Farnsworth, general manager of the historic New Sheridan Hotel, says that his team’s priority is to figure out what the guest’s expectations are — and then deliver on them. Like other hotels in the area, the Sheridan offers its visitors discounts at local outfitters such as Telluride

Outside.

According to Clare Afman, a managing partner at Lumière with Inspirato, the name of the game is creating a “seamless” visit, by smoothly merging their guests’ time in the area with the food, entertainment and outdoor activities they want while they’re here. The hotel’s concierges work directly with local outfitters to plan excursions and even offer an in-depth travel planning service that will take care of the entire stay from start to finish, from booking flights to pairing visitors with the right guide for, say, climbing the Via Ferrata, the legendary Alps-like cliff wall traverse at the east end of the box canyon.

At the Madeline Hotel and Residences, the in-house concierges are known as “experience curators” who work tirelessly to understand and fulfill the needs of their clients. “It is such a pleasure to curate memorable experiences and make our guests fall in love with our small mountain town — and want to come back over and over again,” says experience curator Tracy Remelius, who notes that local knowledge can go a long way toward helping guests have a dream trip.

In addition to the local lodging community, Reset Telluride has taken organizing guest experiences to another level. The luxury wellness and trekking retreat offers fully curated, holistic week-long wellness retreats that include outdoor activities. Each day, guests venture out on half-day treks with a local guide before receiving bodywork, oxygen treatments and other personalized wellness experiences. A delicious and nutritious plant-based diet is served for breakfast lunch and dinner. Before the trip, guests choose one of three main “pathways” — Reach, Roam or Recharge — to participate in, but they also receive a 24-hour concierge service that allows them to further customize their trips.

“The main purpose of Reset is to create a beautiful space for guests to reset their bodies and minds in order to reset their vision and goals,” says Managing Director Holli A. Owen. “We truly believe that everyone resets differently and look forward to catering to unique journeys for all our guests.”

As for cracking that Coors at the top of Wilson Peak, the Hotel Telluride offers a range of curated adventure experiences like the “Crack a Coors” package, which includes a guided climb of Wilson Peak complete with the opportunity to, you guessed it, crack open a Coors at the summit. The hotel emphasizes that the challenging day hike of this iconic fourteener is strictly for the very physically fit, but offers other adventure options that run the gamut from bird watching to climbing.

Summer in Telluride and Mountain Village? It’s a time for making memories with the guidance of local experts from the lodging community. All you have to do is ask.