If you know me, you know I am always up for a ski trip – even with a baby in tow. This trip was originally scheduled for Whistler, BC, Canada, but due to COVID-19 the Canadian border was closed. So, we switched our trip last minute to Telluride, Colorado.
Why Telluride? Well, we wanted to go somewhere none of us have skied. I had visited Telluride in the summer for an off the grid camping trip with my husband and friends. We loved the area and I had been anxious to get back and experience Telluride in the winter.
First things first. Telluride is not necessarily the easiest place to get to, but once you are there it is most definitely worth it. We flew into the Montrose airport and from there rented a car and drove to Telluride (about a 1hour 20minute drive). Once we checked into our rooms our car didn’t leave the parking garage until we were packing up to head back to the airport. Something we learned about Telluride within the first few minutes of getting there: you can walk basically everywhere, it is insanely easy to get to/from Mountain Village, and Telluride is epically beautiful.
This ski trip was a little different from many ski trips of the past because I decided to bring baby boy along. Because of COVID, the nursery for infants at Telluride Ski Mountain was not open so we had to keep in mind that we would all have to be taking turns skiing, need to be staying close to the mountain in case we needed to hurry back to the room, and we wanted more than a hotel room. All of this seems like it would make a trip more stressful, but picking Telluride as our destination honestly made it easy.
I tried to pack light with a baby, but that is not exactly the easiest thing to do. At the time, baby boy was 5 months old and it was his first flight. He has always been a great napper in his stroller (we have the Uppababy Cruz) and the front pack (Ergobaby Omni 360 with mesh) so those two items were a must on this trip. My dad and I got in an argument on the way to the airport on wether the stroller was going or not and all I have to say: stick to your momma instincts! You take care of your baby day in and day out, you know what will make your life easier. Taking the Uppababy stroller was a little cumbersome but for this trip when he still slept quite a bit, it was well worth it. We checked the stroller at the gate, and it did get a little banged up, but nothing major. We checked his car seat with all our other bags, which is free, but make sure if you do not have a cover for the car seat that they wrap it in a big plastic bag. I’ve never had issues checking the car seat as long as it is wrapped up. As for the flight itself, both flights were under 2 hours and baby boy did great. As I have mentioned in other posts, I do not have a picky baby when it comes to food. He will take his bottles warm or ice cold which I know makes “bottle making” very easy on my part. As long as I had a bottle ready for take off and one for the approach he was fairly happy and slept most of the flight. I did find that he loved looking out the window when we were landing, as if it was calming to him. There were definitely moments of screaming and thinking “oh no, this is going to be a disaster” but I promise, stay calm and everything will be okay. Most of the people on planes are actually incredibly understanding and often offer a helping hand. On this trip we really pushed baby boy with the long days and travel, but he adjusted to our schedule and did great.
We stayed at The Ice House in a two-bedroom deluxe suite. It had an open concept kitchen with top of the line appliances, dining area, and living area. The bedrooms were very comfortable with en-suite bathrooms that have been newly renovated. To top it off, each bedroom had a balcony along with the balcony off of the dining/living area. It was plenty of space! The best thing: staying at the Ice House you are roughly 500 ft from the town gondola (a 2 minute walk). You can valet your skis and boots at Telluride Sports next to the gondola or take them back to the lockers at the Ice House. It was incredibly convenient. The ONLY hiccup: Telluride Sports Valet closes at 5PM so if you plan on doing any apres ski you might end up having to use the lockers rather than the valet. I say this because we experienced when the mountain closes at 4PM the line for the gondola back town is INSANE. At least you have options!
One of the most unique things about Telluride is the gondola that goes from the town of Telluride straight to Mountain Village. Yes, Park City has a town lift, but not the same, at all. On the gondola I was able to take baby boy in my front pack (or) you can put a full size stroller on the gondola. Because we decided to stay in town for ease of shopping and restaurants in addition to skiing, this made it SO easy to take baby boy over to Mountain Village. We would either do a few runs and then switch, or take turns on who would get to go all morning or all afternoon. It made having a baby with us very easy. One day we did get a babysitter from Care.com and she was amazing. We did this the last day so all of us could ski together and it was a nice little break. One thing I would suggest: book a sitter WAY in advance! It was a complete miracle I was able to find a sitter so last minute. Most everyone was booked a month to two months out.
As for food. We went out to eat three nights, had lunch on the mountain while skiing twice, and brunch once. Since we had a full kitchen and a baby we did breakfast in our condo, a few to-go lunches, and made dinner a couple nights which can certainly make a trip a bit more budget friendly when spending so much on eating out, skiing, and a place to stay. It also gives you a break from taking a baby to a restaurant which we all know can go one of two ways: amazingly well or absolutely terrible.
Check out my other post on eating in Telluride to get an idea of all the best restaurants to check out.
Of course with any trip, you want to eat some great food and do some fun shopping. As for shopping, my mom and I spent probably way too much money at Telluride Trappings & Toggery on the main street (Colorado Avenue) and for baby clothes / toys go to Scarpe off the main street. If you are the type that buys your gear, Boot Doctors was amazing helping my mom get a new helmet and goggles. However, there are plenty of cute boutiques we did not have the chance to explore!
The last activity I would 100% suggest doing is a night time gondola ride. It’s free and a beautiful, romantic, experience. After dinner on our last night we took the gondola over to Mountain Village, grabbed a hot chocolate with bailey’s from Tracks Cafe & Bar, and then took the gondola back to the town of Telluride. The ride back down was beautiful seeing all the stars and the town of Telluride lit up.
All aspects of the trip came together seamlessly, which is pretty remarkable because when traveling with a baby you have to remember to have some grace for yourself. You can not expect too much and don’t be bummed if something does not go as planned. We have been many, many places to ski and Telluride is truly something special for a family vacation of all ages. It might be more exhausting taking your little one, but you will remember all the amazing memories more than the struggles.
All the love,
