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THE SKIING
Helitrax is unique. In a state recognized for its excellent skiing conditions, Helitrax operates the only heliski guide service in Colorado.  Additionally, we offer the smallest guest-to-guide ratio in North America, a maximum of four guests to one guide. On many occasions we ski with a three-to-one ratio. Heliskiing in small groups with a Bell 407 helicopter is the most intimate way to enjoy powder skiing. Indeed, it is all we do.

Dick Pederson, a guest who skiied with Helitrax in February 2004, and who has heliskied well over one hundred thousand vertical feet with outfits in Canada, told us he preferred the Helitrax experience. "The groups are smaller and the snow is drier," he said.

THE MOUNTAINS
Telluride is seated in The San Juans Mountains, at 40 million years of age, Colorado's youngest range. The San Juans boast the greatest concentration of 13,000 and 14,000-foot summits south of the Canadian Yukon with over 80 peaks reaching elevations of over 13,000 feet (4,063 metres). The scenery is steep, rugged, snow covered and consistently recognized as some of the most breathtaking in North America. In 2003 Ski Magazine ranked the San Juans the most scenic mountains in North America.

THE TOWN: Elevation: 8,750 feet; Population: 2,221
Telluride is remote, unhurried, and offers our guests the culture of an alpine ski town.  The Telluride ski area, ranked among the top ten in North America (Ski Magazine 2003), is truly world class. If a storm grounds the helicopter, Helitrax guests enjoy the unique option of lift served skiing at the Telluride Ski resort.

On the streets and in the historic alleys of Telluride over 50 restaurants offer cuisine ranging from award-winning seafood to authentic Mexican to delectable Italian fare. Be sure to stroll into the New Sheridan bar, a watering hole that dates over one hundred years ago to Telluride's colorful mining past.

STATE-OF-THE-ART HELICOPTER
Helitrax's Bell 407 helicopter is operated under the direction of a dedicated helicopter provider that is responsible for the aircraft's daily maintenance and operation. We use only turbine-powered equipment, designed for high altitude performance.  Our guests enjoy the fact that the Bell 407's cabin is relatively quiet and allows for conversation during flight.   
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THE WEATHER
Perched on the edge of the desert Southwest, the San Juans Mountains draw winter storms to them. The prevailingly westerly winds carry storms across the dry desert and when they reach the mountains' 14,000 foot peaks and are forced to climb, the dynamic produces among the lightest and driest snow found anywhere.
After storms the skies clear out quickly, a phenomenon that gives southwest Colorado its celebrated blue sky powder days.  If you have ever spent precious days of a British Columbia heli-skiing vacation waiting for the clouds to clear, you'll simply love the bluebird powder skiing common with Telluride Helitrax.  WEATHER LINK 

The History  
The Ute Indians named the Telluride area, "The Valley of Hanging Waterfalls."  They considered the area sacred because of its natural beauty. 

In the 1870s, a different value was placed on the land, as miners arrived in search of gold and silver.  The town they established was originally named "Columbia." Confusion reigned because another mining town in California was also named, "Columbia." The post office forced the town to change its name.  

The name "Telluride" appears to have originated with the term "tellurium" with refers to the area's mixed silver and gold ore.

With the mining boom, the town began to take on quite a character of its own. New businesses sprouted up including a hotel, opera house, saloons and gambling halls, creating a frontier-mining town with all the trappings. 

All the gold and silver made the local bank a tempting target. Legend has it as the spot of Butch Cassidy's first heist, netting him a take of $24,580.  

At the pinnacle of the gold rush, Telluride was home to nearly 5,000 people. The mining business apparently proved profitable. At the end of the 19th century, more millionaires per capita lived in Telluride than in New York City.  More than three hundred and sixty million dollars of gold had been extracted from mines around Telluride.

In 1891, George Westinghouse, L.L. Nunn, and Nikola Tesla built the world's first alternating current (AC) power plant. This made Telluride the first place in the world to have electric street lamps.

The boom days didn't last forever. The mines eventually shut down in the 1950s.  People left the town in droves, and for most of the next 20 years, Telluride remained practically a ghost town. 

In 1972, California entrepreneur, Joe Zoline, created the ski area.  He saw the potential of the area with its "white gold" (snow) on the mountains. 

Over the next few years, tourism revitalized the town, and Telluride became a popular winter and summer destination.  

Although a century has passed since its mining heyday, Telluride still basks in its colorful history and manages to hold onto its Old West character...

To learn more about Telluride history, please visit www.visittelluride.com/history.html

                           Helicopter Service provided for Telluride Helitrax by Air Resources   
                                                   Helicopters, Inc. FAA WIPA 601S

Telluride Helitrax offers.....
	We Specialize in Custom Heliski Charters
	We will arrange fixed wing charter from all major Colorado ski resorts to Telluride
	Snowboarders are welcomed
	Extra-Fat Powder Ski rentals are available
	Avalanche hazard consultation
	Remote film location experts along with production support
	Operating under special use permits from Uncompahgre/San Juan National Forests and Bureau of Land Management