ELEVATION
Base: 8,120 feet (2,470 m)
Summit: 11,570 feet (3,530 m)
Vertical Rise: 3,450 feet (1,050 m)
SLOPE ASPECTS
North: 40% of skiable terrain.
South: 20%
East: 20%
West: 20%
TRAILS
Skiable area: 5,289 acres (8.3 sq mi; 21.4 km2)
Trails: 193 total (18% beginner, 29% intermediate, 53% advanced/expert)
Longest run: Riva Ridge – 4 miles (6.4 km)
Average annual snowfall: 370 inches (9.4 m)
Colorado, a Mountain State in the western and southwestern United States, is noted for its vivid landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands.
With over 5 200 acres of skiable terrain, Vail has been coveted as one of the world’s largest ski resorts. It has seven renowned Back Bowls stretching seven miles and the most groomed terrain on the planet. Perhaps, for almost 50 years, Vail is one of the most extraordinary winter vacation destinations for passionate skiers and snowboarders.
Home to World-Class Skiing Events
The ski resort was host to world-class athletes during the U.S. Ski Team early-season training sessions in Golden Peak, the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships, and the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships.
Under excellent weather conditions, families and friends and families reconnect and celebrate. They experience and enjoy an exceptional vacation, from the Vail Ski & Snowboard School to events, activities, and festivals, shops and spas, abundant culinary experiences, and luxurious accommodations.
The Brief History of Vail
In the 1960s, Vail was built from scratch by its founders who envisaged a “little Bavaria” in Colorado, based on their experiences in the Alps while serving in the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army.
Vail is vast, stretching almost four miles along the (remarkably unobtrusive) I-70 highway from Denver. But the original Vail Village is a delightful place to stroll around, full of Bavarian/Tirolean-style buildings.
When planning to take a vacation to this resort, make sure you are prepared to spend a lot of money as the resort is costly. It houses many luxury hotels and many choices as to which restaurants you’ll dine in and enjoy various cuisines. Be mindful that the costs of lift passes, equipment rental, and lessons are all sky high. But the good thing is you can have an advance purchase online or through a U.K. tour operator. It would then cost substantially less than the in-resort price.
Although Vail Ski Resort comes with a high price, people still undermine the cost due to its experience. The areas require intermediate to expert level skiers and snowboarders, including those keen to try Colorado’s usually dry, light, and plentiful powder snow.
Touring around Vail Ski Resort
There’s no need to worry when going from one area to another when you are at the resort, as it has an excellent free bus service that makes it easy to get around. If you wish to access the ski area’s heart, it’s most convenient to stay near one of the powerful main gondolas lifts out of either the Tirolean-style Vail Village base area or the swish modern Lionshead village.
You can both enjoy at Vail Village and Lionshead village as they have car-free streets and squares to stroll around and various après bars and restaurants. Another option is the quieter, smaller accommodation base at Golden Peak. It has access to the mountain via a fast quad chairlift.
Compared to most American resorts, Vail has much livelier and varied après ski and nightlife. There are many family-friendly activities, such as snowmobiling for kids and snowshoeing.
The big ski area gives a great experience of traveling around with the wonderfully groomed pistes and the massive regions of ungroomed terrain where you can enjoy fresh, dry powder. As with other North American resorts, off-piste runs within the ski area boundary are avalanche controlled and patrolled.
Here’s the list that Vail now owns
The original Vail (since 1962), plus Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone in Colorado; Park City (and Canyons) in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood in Lake Tahoe California; Perisher in Australia; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Whistler Blackcomb in B.C., purchasing Stowe Vermont.
Vail Resorts also hold the RockResorts brand. It has luxurious ski lodging properties, including the lovely slopeside Lodge at Vail, The Arrabelle at Vail Square, The Pines Lodge, and The Osprey at Beaver Creek, One Ski Hill Place at Breckenridge, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Vail’s two latest deals include Stowe, which costs $50 million, and Whistler, which was $1.1 billion. Excluded on the purchase are the new Spruce Village and Stowe Mountain Lodge, the Stowe Mountain Club, and Golf Course.