Telluride and Real Estate Blog

The Forest Service is evaluating proposal for replacing lifts, expanding ski ways and tree clearing

Article by Sophie Stuber, Telluride Daily Planet - 5/13/25

A map showing the proposed upgrades to Telluride Ski Resort. Staff at the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) are conducting an environmental assessment for the project, and the public comment period is open until the end of May. (Image courtesy of Telluride Ski Resort/US Forest Service)

The public comment period is currently open for proposed Telluride Ski Resort construction on Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) land. GMUG staff is conducting an environmental assessment (EA) for Telluride Ski Resort for several projects that Telski proposed in their 2017 Master Development Plan and to 2023 and 2024 amendments. The plans would be on National Forest land and adjacent private lands within the existing ski resort boundaries.

Since this is the scoping period, it is in early stages.

“This is to help (GMUG) create fully proposed action, and they'd like to get any kind of major concerns out of the way before they start their environmental assessment,” Starr Jamison, San Miguel County director of natural resources and climate, said during a BOCC meeting on May 7.

The county commissioners discussed whether to submit scoping comments for the draft, or to wait until the next draft.

“I think it's really important to provide comments at one point in the process,” Commissioner Galena Gleason said.

Telski intends to replace Lifts 7 and 8, widen the Galloping Goose Skiway, build the Lift 9 Jaws Skiway, transform the existing High Camp warming hut into a full service restaurant, build a new mountain bike connection trail, make the installations on the Heritage Trail permanent, and conduct tethered logging projects for forest health.

With these projects, Telski says the goal is to “improve the guest experience at TSR by addressing existing lift operational challenges and expanding recreational opportunities.”

Both the existing Lift 7 and Lift 8 are from the 1970s and are reaching the end of their operational lifespan. For Lift 7, Telski has not made a final decision for the new lift, but is considering a fixed-grip triple, a fixed-grip quad, or a detachable quad with a total capacity between 1,200-2,400 people per hour. The new lift would have generally the same alignment as the existing chair. For Lift 8, which brings skiers and riders over to Lift 9, the resort is looking at an upgraded fixed-grip double, triple, or quad chair with a capacity of 950-1,200 people per hour.

The master plan includes a proposal to widen the Galloping Goose Skiway from the Bald Mountain saddle to a zone by the Madison ski run. The trail would be extended by about 30 feet, and the project requires excavation and the construction of a 600-foot retaining wall for slope stability and soil retention.

Off Lift 9, Telski plans to build a new ski trail that is a better, less steep egress route for skiers and riders than the existing slope. The “Jaws Skiway” could also allow the resort to open Lift 9 earlier in the season since it would have access to the current snowmaking system.

The High Camp warming hut at the top of Lift 12 is the site of a new proposed full service restaurant. The warming hut currently offers food and beverage options that are prepared offsite, but the new restaurant would have the capacity to make everything onsite. The expansion requires electrical upgrades and new composting toilets.

An earlier project was shut down due to permitting issues.

“For those who aren't familiar with the previous restaurant project that the Telluride Ski Resort initiated without proper permitting, sadly, the county — together with the Forest Service — had to shut it down, and it's been sitting there for almost two years, not completed,” Commissioner Anne Brown said.

The environmental assessment includes plans for an additional mountain bike trail, Green Tech, that would be a spur off the east side of the Tommyknocker trail. The new trail would be hand built and rockier than Tommyknocker to offer more varied terrain. Both are still intended for beginner riders — but different styles.

The Heritage Trail in Grouse Glade features an interactive historical timeline of

the San Juan region, local geography, a ski-through trail of the Ute Indian Tipi, a ski-through pioneer chuck wagon, a historic mineshaft, and other historic local buildings and infrastructure. The exhibit was built in the summer of 2024 under a temporary approval from the Forest Service, but Telski wants to make the Heritage Trail permanent and allow the installation to stay year round.

Aside from resort upgrades, Telski is also planning to do some work to improve forest health, using tethered cut-to-length logging equipment to mitigate hazardous fuels, remove hazard trees and improve recreational skiing opportunities. Cutting and removing dead and dying subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce trees can also help with combatting spruce beetle infestations. Cut-to-length tree harvesting operations are less costly than using helicopters and minimizes soil disturbances, compared to slash and burn techniques.

For the logging operations, Jamison noted that the project needs to comply with local regulations and environmental concerns.

“We just need to make sure that we're looking at lynx habitat, wetlands, fens, weed mitigation,” she said.

The public comment period is open until May 29. Electronic comments are preferred and can be submitted to: TellurideSkiEA@segroup.com. Scoping comments help assist GMUG staff finalize the environmental assessment and decide how to move forward.

To read the original Telluride Daily Planet article please click this link.