Telluride and Breckenridge (commonly known as ‘Breck’) are two of the most popular Skiing resorts in the mountainous State of Colorado located in the mid-western region of the United States.
Both resorts offer an excellent variety of runs for the experienced and inexperienced skier, whilst also offering a plethora of general facilities. But which of them comes out on top?
That is what I’ll be discussing in this post, to hopefully clarify any misconceptions and to offer a detailed overview of both Telluride vs Breckenridge by comparing them.
Size and Skiable Area
One of the most notable differences between these two resorts is the size. Breckenridge is much larger than Telluride.
Breckenridge is comprised of 5 different peaks having a total combined skiable area of a whopping 2,908 acres.
Whereas Telluride offers a taller mountain height at 4,425 ft. and a summit of 13,159 ft, whilst having a respectable 2,000+ acres of skiable area.
Terrain
Each of the 5 Peaks making up Breckenridge have different difficulties to each of them, some having more than just one.
Also read our comparison Breckenridge vs Park City
Peak 10 which is the southernmost peak is more tailored towards the advanced skiers. The lower half of Peak 9 was built with beginner skiers in mind and the difficulty increases to intermediate as the altitude increases.
The lower half of Peak 8 has a mix of all three beginner, intermediate and advanced runs, whilst the upper half is exclusively expert territory. Peak 7 has more intermediate trails and most of the lodges and other general facilities are located at its base.
The last and northernmost peak, Peak 6, has a mix of intermediate and advanced level terrain.
All the Peaks combined, Breckenridge has a total of 187 trails to offer to its visitors.
Telluride on the other hand has a single high altitude mountain which contains a total of 147 trails and has a mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced level trails scattered all across the resort, but has an overall higher percentage of intermediate and advanced runs.
Best for Beginners
Both resorts have almost the same amount of beginner / intermediate runs if we factor in the total number of runs. Breckenridge has 13% beginner runs and 23% intermediate runs, while Telluride offers 16% beginner and 30% intermediate runs.
However, Breckenridge, rather than being a full white-knuckled high intensity skiing experience, is more holiday destination oriented.
Also read our comparison Breckenridge vs Copper Mountain
Breckenridge definitely has some advanced level runs to get the blood pumping but compared to Telluride, it’s a more reserved experience.
Best for Advanced And Expert Skiers
Telluride is a way more expert level experience when compared to Breckenridge. Due to its high altitude runs and steeply angled slopes, Telluride is every adrenaline junkie’s go to.
However only 55% of Telluride trails are marked as expert / advanced while Breck has a 64% advance runs
Most Snowfall
Breckenridge gets the most snowfall.
On average, Breckenridge gets around 350 inches of seasonal snowfall every year whereas Telluride gets an average of 330 inches.
Longest Ski Season
Breckenridge has been known for having longer lasting seasonal durations lasting nearly 7 months for the 22/23 Season alone. The 22/23 Season for Breck started on November 9th 2022 and has an estimated closing date of May 30th 2023.
Also read our comparison of Snowbird vs Park City
Though not as long as Breckenridge, Telluride has an approximate seasonal duration of 4 months for the 22/23 Season. The 22/23 Season for Telluride started on November 26th 2022 and has an estimated closing date of April 2nd 2023.
That being said, Telluride is way less crowded than Breck throughout the season.
Ski Lifts
Breckenridge has a total of 34 Ski Lifts that includes 5 high-speed six packs, 7 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 1 triple lift, 5 double lifts, 4 surface lifts, 9 Carpet Lifts and a 8 person Gondola called the ‘Breckconnect’ Gondola.
Telluride has slightly more than half the Ski Lifts of Breckenridge at a total of 20. But unlike Breckenridge, Telluride has an ace up their sleeves when it comes to Ski Lifts.
There are 6 high-speed quads, 4 surface lifts, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triple lifts, 2 double lifts, 1 Chondala and 3 Gondolas.
The neat thing about Telluride’s Ski Lifts is that all 3 Gondolas can be accessed free of charge, this is a unique characteristic to Telluride and Telluride only, meaning that you can’t find something like this anywhere else in the entire United States.
Overall Cost
The overall cost for a visit to either resort depends on a few factors. Flights, Number of people, Food, Travel, Lodging, Extra Expenses and Stay Duration.
Average cost for skiing Breckenridge
- An average week trip to Breckenridge alone can cost you around $1600 to $3200 ($230 to $460 per day).
- An average week trip to Breckenridge with 2 people (mostly couples) can cost you around $2900 to $5500 ($400 to $780 per day).
- An average week trip to Breckenridge with 4 people (mostly families of 4) can cost you around $5100 to $9400 ($730 to $1300 per day)
Average cost for skiing Telluride
- An average week trip to Telluride alone can cost you around $1600 to $4600 ($230 to $660 per day).
- An average week trip to Telluride with 2 people (mostly couples) can cost you around $2900 to $6800 ($420 to $970 per day).
- An average week trip to Telluride with 4 people (mostly families of 4) can cost you around $5000 to $11,500 ($700 to $1600 per day)
With these statistics it’s obvious that Telluride is quite a bit more costly than Breckenridge.
Verdict
Now that we’ve reached the end of this article it’s time to decide which of these two are better.
Each of them have their own strengths and weaknesses but after thorough comparison it’s clear that Breckenridge is to be crowned victorious.
Though Telluride is not a bad place by a long shot to visit, if you want to get your money’s worth, then Breckenridge is the superior resort and that’s what I would choose.
