After an unfortunately slow beginning to our winter, it seems the weather pattern is slowly but surely starting to shift away from the warm and dry pattern we saw through December. We’ve received 15 inches of snow in the last 6 days, a huge improvement over the prior few weeks when we seemed lucky to get the occasional dusting once a week.
The majority of the front side of Vail Mountain is open, from the Pride Express Lift on the western edge to the Highline Express Lift on the eastern edge, providing about 1,500 acres of skiing!
Vail Resorts announced the opening of a few more chairlifts on Vail Mountain this week. We’re happy to report that every front side lift from the Pride Express Lift on the far western edge of the mountain to the Highline Express Lift on the far eastern edge is now open to the public. Next step: the Back Bowls. Bring on the snow!
After a couple months of down time, Vail has come alive this Thanksgiving holiday. Vail Village went from being quiet last week to buzzing with activity today, as Vail Mountain opened one more chairlift, the Avanti Express (aka Chair 2), to bring our total skiable terrain to 21 open runs, serviced by 6 lifts.
We wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, and look forward to greeting guests old and new as the season goes on.
Vail Mountain opened a few hours ago, with top to bottom skiing available on the Eagle Bahn Gondola! Chair 8 is also open, servicing the Born Free ski run, as well as the Vista Bahn out of Vail Village, servicing Bear Tree. With more snow in the forecast this weekend, we expect to see more lifts and terrain opening in the next couple of weeks!
The annual Vail Ski & Snowboard Swap, benefitting Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and its youth ski and snowboard racing and freestyle programs, takes place in Vail this weekend. What started out 41 years ago as a traditional swap of used ski gear has evolved to include the traditional swap component plus a strong presence from retailers all over the state of Colorado. Been waiting for your favorite skis, snowboards, boots, and clothing from last season to go on sale? Check out the swap, you just might find it there!
The action starts this Friday afternoon, October 28th, at the Dobson Ice Arena in Vail. Early Bird Shopping runs from 5pm to 7pm on Friday. General admission runs from 7pm to 10pm Friday, 8am to 5pm Saturday, and 8am to 10am on Sunday. For more information, visit the website of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail.
With the Colorado weather forecast showing nothing but blue skies and mild temperatures for the next couple of weeks, it’s easy to forget that ski season’s right around the corner. But keep in mind that the last big storm to swing through the state dropped enough snow for three mountains–Wolf Creek, Arapahoe Basin, and Loveland–to open up a few of their lifts. It won’t take much more to open up a significant number of runs and lifts on Vail Mountain!
With winter right around the corner, don’t forget to consider one of Vail’s various season passes for sale on their website. There’s the unrestricted Epic Pass for $669, the unrestricted Epic 7 Day Pass for $519, and the “restricted for certain dates around a few holidays” Epic Local Pass for $519 that gives you unlimited Breckenridge and Keystone, with 10 restricted days in Vail or Beaver Creek.
For more information on these pass products, visit the Vail Resorts website.
Are you ready for date night at one of the best restaurants in Vail? Well this is the week for you! Vail Restaurant Month concludes this week with specials geared toward romantic evenings. Check out the Aphrodisiac Dinner at La Tour Restaurant on Thursday night, or Date Night at Ludwig’s on Saturday!
Vail Restaurant Month continues into October, with two weeks of theme meals at participating restaurants.
October 3rd to 9th is Family Week. Various restaurants will be offering family-friendly activities to go along with the dining experience, such as pizza tossing lessons at Blue Moose Pizza and “Little Foodies in the Kitchen” baking class with our neighbors at Larkspur. For more information, visit the Vail Restaurant Month website.
After a few weeks of seeing small clusters of aspen trees turn yellow, the balance has shifted. Now there are only a few green clusters left, and the rest of the Vail Valley is bright yellow. With nothing but clear blue skies in the forecast for the next week, now’s a fantastic to embark on a scenic drive, hike, or bike ride to enjoy the remarkable fall colors. Act now, it’ll all be over in a couple of weeks!
Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already the end of July! While it might seem that Vail has already seen all of its activity for the summer, there’s still more to come. The Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival dominated headlines for most of July, with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing in early July, the Philadelphia Orchestra playing during the middle part of the month, and the New York Philharmonic closing things out with a few performances this weekend.
With Bravo coming to a close, we move into August with the return of the Vail International Dance Festival, featuring the debut of the New York City Ballet Moves ensemble. The festival runs from July 31 to August 13 this year.
Another upcoming highlight of the month is the Kids’ Adventure Race on August 13th, sponsored by the Vail Recreation District. Stop by to watch kids from ages 6-12 as they navigate a course with challenges such as a zipline, climbing wall, mountain biking, hiking, tubing, a Tarzan swing, and a giant slip-n-slide!
Also not to be missed is the new USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The world’s best pro cyclists will be working their way through the state of Colorado with various stages of racing. They’ll stop in Vail for the 3rd stage of the race, a time trial from Vail to the top of Vail Pass on August 25th. The next morning they’ll set out for an 83 mile ride from Avon to Steamboat Springs.
And, of course, before we know it, September will be here, along with the annual turning of the aspen tree leaves. Don’t miss out on the amazing scenery during most locals’ favorite month of the summer!