Ron Allred
Ron Allred developed and executed on the vision that resulted in the Telluride and Mountain Village we all know and love today. Ron knew that the most important aspect of building a ski resort from scratch was to have a bed base. Fortunately, his 4.2 million purchase from Joe Zoline and Simonius-Vischer Corporation, included enough land for both the ski resort and future lodging. In that first year, Allred spent 5 million followed by 4 million the second year. He also invested $4 million in the design and construction of the Telluride Regional Airport, which was a very important aspect of Allred’s vision. “If we didn’t get the airport done, we would not have built the resort,” said Allred.
Allred went on to build the gondola, the only one of its kind in the country because it connects the two towns, Telluride and Mountain Village, as a free public transportation system. The year after the gondola was constructed, Allred’s Restaurant was completed on the original site where Allred first stood to begin to realize his dream. Now and into the future, Telluride guests can see Allred’s vision and why, today, Telluride is one of the greatest ski resorts in the country.
BIll “Senior” Mahoney
Senior grew up in Telluride and started working in the local mine at age 15. He always had a love of exploration and skiing. He knew that as the mining boom faded, Telluride needed a new attraction in order to have a viable economy.
Mahoney became the Telluride Ski Company’s second employee, after his wife Twylla the first employee, running the mountain’s snowcat operation during the ski resort’s first seasons, and later assumed the roles of mountain manager and vice president until his retirement in 1993.
Vast knowledge of local skiable terrain wasn’t the only asset Mahoney brought to the table during the Telluride Ski Resort’s infancy. Mahoney worked diligently to solve complicated water rights and mining claim issues, skillfully negotiated the local political scene (he served on Telluride Town Council for consecutive terms from 1968-75), and even was the town’s weather reporter for many decades.
