Mountain Village is the artificial town created in the midst of the Telluride Ski Resort in order to sell McMansions and ski-in/ski-out second homes along the slopes of the legendary Colorado ski area. If the lack of real estate in the box canyon of downtown Telluride and its authentic Old West charm is too much, there's plenty of space in the trailside cul-de-sacs to build or buy something large and mildly interesting, like this $12.9 million, 9,300 square foot ski mansion.
We've covered and applauded Western mountain homes sporting mining-inspired designs before. But this one is just on the boring side of kitsch architecture, its suggestions of Old West mining infrastructure a little too pronounced. The garage and its overarching walkway are a bit too literal a connection to the mining claims that used to line San Juan County's canyons. It's also hard to trust any home with furniture as stuffed as this one and with as many contemporary takes on the fireplace. But that's just an old school fireplace-loving New England boy talking.
· 105 Highlands Way, Telluride, CO [Telluride Sotheby's]