If you ever wanted to bring the ski town vibe to your own backyard, a municipality on the Western Slope is offering locals a rare chance to own their very own gondola cabin. And not just any cable cars — these ones also serve as compact dining areas.
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The town of Mountain Village, adjacent to Telluride, is currently auctioning off 10 unique gondola cars that it has used as outdoor dining spaces since the COVID-19 pandemic. They come in red, yellow and blue, and each one has its own table inside that accommodates about six people.
Mountain Village originally installed 25 of these Swiss-made dining cabins in 2020 amid social distancing requirements and demand for private, outdoor seating. Some of them have since been repurposed as art installations, and now the town is seeking to rehome 10 more to make space in the plaza at the base of the Telluride Ski Resort.
“It was a really creative way to address the issues we had during the height of the pandemic and a creative way to play off our iconic Telluride-Mountain Village gondola,” town spokesperson Kathrine Warren told The Denver Post. “If you have the yard space or the means, I think it would be super cool to have this as a hangout spot or space for your kids.”
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The auction runs through Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. and bidding starts at $2,500 per gondola at municibid.com/seller/moutainvillagedpw. Proceeds benefit Mountain Munchkins, the child care facility and preschool owned and operated by Mountain Village.
Folks interested in their own “ride and dine” gondola can view the specifications of each cabin on the auction website or by viewing the PDF linked the town’s official press release. Winners will be required to transport their roughly 700-pound purchase home, though Mountain Village has a lift to help load each one onto a trailer. Warren noted there are local companies that will re-wrap the exterior for those interested in changing the color.
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