Going to ski Telluride in Feb.....Looking for some info about great places to stay.We have heard the Inn at Lost Creek is wonderful as well as the Peaks.Any insight would be helpful.Thanks!

we stayed at La Chamonix but used the spa facilities at the Peaks. Walking distance to mountain village and gondola to town - both were nice places - depends on your interests: ski as much as possible or not - we also had children with us so being close to the slopes was key.

How do you think telluride ranks say vs. Aspen overall...skiing, atmosphere, etc.??

that's a tough one - both have great slopes but I think Telluride was a little tougher mostly due to less grooming. The Plunge really lives up t its name. Aspen will be more 'upscale' overall but Telluride is approaching it. First trip to Telluride was in the late 1970's when it was unheard of - the bars stayed open until we left! Obviously, with Tom Cruise, Oprah, etc building out there, its changed but the rustic look is still there. You won't see as many fur coats, fur apres ski boots, etc as in Aspen. However, Aspen also has the advantage of being part of a larger complex with Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass so there is huge variety.

Thanks for the input....they both sound wonderful.We want a cool ,laid-back atmosphere yet nice at the same time.We arent great skiers yet so we want somewhere where we can improve without tons of crowds.Sounds like we cant go wrong either way.

Also, we dont want to have to rent a vehicle of any kind..just being able to walk or ride(gondola) would be ideal.Any more thoughts??

You won't necessarily need a car at either place; vans/cabs are available at the airports - pretty reasonable as I remember. Easy to walk to any restaurants and shop in both; transportation is easy between mountains at Aspen.

My wife and I have skied Vail and Aspen several times and this year are going to Telluride for the first time. We were wondering about transfers from the airport to Telluride. Should we reserve something in advance or wing it once we arrive? We have been quoted a rate of $78 per person round trip and wonder if that is the going rate.

are you flying into Telluride or Montrose? If Montrose, then the $78 sounds high but probably right. The Telluride airport is less than 15 minutes from the mountain village and we took a van/cab - no reservations and it wasn't that much for 4 of us.