Telluride Mountain Club hosts gear drive to share used outdoor equipment

At Carhenge parking lot, Telluride Mountain Club turned spring cleanup into a way to keep more people on skis, bikes and trails. The club collected lightly used outdoor gear on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with skis, camping gear, bikes and clothing all headed for reuse later in the season.

The gear was slated to be redistributed for free at the Community Fiesta in Telluride Town Park, part of a long-running effort by the club to put equipment where it can do the most good. Telluride Mountain Club says the point is to get outdoor recreation gear “in the hands of folks who cannot afford it or don’t have the means to acquire it,” a mission that matters in a place where mountain sports often require expensive, specialized equipment before a person can even get outside.

That access piece is not abstract in Telluride. Cost-of-living estimates show the town is substantially more expensive than the U.S. average, and 2026 housing and affordability data for San Miguel County still point to serious pressure in the region. A free gear redistribution gives families, students, new residents and lower-income locals a lower-cost way into the same San Juan Mountains culture that powers the area’s ski season, summer trail season and shoulder-season transitions.

The club said it first established an outdoor gear drive in spring 2022, but the idea fits into a broader access and stewardship role it has been building for years. Telluride Mountain Club said it has been involved in regional trails planning since 2015, and its 2021-2022 survey collected 769 responses, with more than 70% backing trail improvements. The club’s mission centers on preserving and enhancing public access to human-powered recreation, including hiking and biking, backcountry skiing and boarding, mountaineering, climbing and the via ferrata.

That wider work shows up in the club’s recent trail maintenance records, too. Its 2025 recap says volunteers cleared more than 240 downed trees from 25 different trails, while the 2024 report logged more than 125 downed trees from 22 trails. The gear drive sits in the same ecosystem: keeping equipment moving, keeping waste out of the landfill and keeping the cost of entry from closing the door on local outdoor life. In Telluride, spring does not just mean snowmelt and mud season. It is also when the community makes sure more people can afford to step into the season once the trails are ready.