All Hail the new old Vail
Featured in N Magazine, by Heather Burke

Every time I ski Vail, I continue to be wowed. It’s not just me. This icon of western skiing consistently makes all the ski magazines’ top picks as one of the best ski destinations in North America. If you are waiting for your engraved invitation to Vail and someone to hold open the “Front Door,” (the name of Vail’s Village makeover) then its time to visit Vail as the billion-dollar “Front Door” is open.

The massive renovation has revamped Vail’s Tyrolean Village, and Vail is once again poised to stay on top of every skier’s list.

Vail, the mountain, is mega. That’s what I thought on my first visit two decades ago, when “we” (Vail and I) were both in our twenties, the Village and I share a birth year. Vail feels no smaller or less impressive after each subsequent visit. If anything – it keeps getting bigger and better after 40 (I just keep getting older), with 5,289-acres it takes at least a week to explore.

Perhaps I can provide a few fall line pointers so you don’t cross your tips on your Vail Colorado trip. First, fly into Vail/Eagle Airport, and skip the long, often icy 2-hour uphill drive from Denver. Flying into Vail’s local airport (30-minutes away), you won’t need a rental car, snow tires, or an ice-scraper – just a lift to your lodge.

Next, pick a premier slopeside resort. The Lodge at Vail fits the bill, with a prime location right at the base of the lifts and in the heart of the Village. This was Vail’s first lodging property when the ski area debuted in 1962, and has served as the cornerstone of the European design village that has emerged over the past four decades. Today, The Lodge is part of the prestigious RockResorts family.

Poetically, while Vail Village received its facelift, including new skier services buildings and underground parking, The Lodge at Vail remained the chalet style centerpiece, dictating the old world European theme throughout the base village.

If you were blindfolded and brought to the lobby – you could mistake your whereabouts for Austria or Switzerland, mahogany woodwork and leather furnishings replicate an exclusive alpine chalet. The Lodge at Vail is posh, the service is perfected, and did I mention – it’s perfectly situated. Guestrooms sport fluffy down duvets. You may want to request a suite with a fireplace and a walk-out balcony with a view of the mountain, the outdoor heated pool, or a charming village scene.

Within the hotel are two award-winning restaurants, and you’re steps from a plethora of shops, gourmet eateries and lively pubs.

If you need rental equipment, Vail Sports is right next to the Lodge on your way to the lifts, or if you’d like equipment personally delivered to your suite for a professional fitting, contact SkiButlers.com, and they will set you up with gear to goggles.

So let’s talk skiing. Vail is immense, with 3,450’vertical serviced by 33 efficient lifts. A couple of fun facts: Vail has the most groomed terrain on the planet (I love to carve corduroy so I listed that pearl first). Vail has seven distinct areas - each of which is larger than most ski resorts, and seven back bowls that stretch six miles across, plus four terrain parks. Obviously finding a favorite trail or a stash of untracked snow is no dilemma at this downhillers’ haven.

The Vista Bahn lift, located right outside The Lodge at Vail, whisks you each morning to mid-Vail. Jump on the Mountaintop Express for a couple of wake-up runs on Cappuccino and Expresso. For more mellow terrain, head skiers’ right to the new high speed Sourdough chair. Or if you like to mash moguls make your way to eastern-most Blue Ox - and another brand new quad.

After you’ve explored the Front Side’s dozens of dreamy runs and awesome scenery from Northwoods to Avanti, the sun is high and its time to drop over the backside. Surely you have heard of Vail’s Back Bowls – any skier worth his edges knows these legendary bowls set the bar to which all other terrain is measured.

Vail’s backside is a bonanza of wide-open, above tree line “ski anywhere you like” landscape. Don’t let your ski knees knock in fear, they groom a few swaths of cord down the center of each of the six bowls – from Sun Down to Sun Up, China to Mongolia (names as far reaching as this remote six mile expanse of ski territory).

I felt I had arrived at ski Nirvana when I first scooped Vail’s bowls with fresh powder (a frequent phenomenon). Overwhelmed by the sense of openness and endless turning possibilities, I simply could not imagine it could get any better. Then in 2000, Vail opened Blue Sky Basin and Pete’s Bowl, yet another mountain face of adventure skiing, still more secluded with spectacular Rocky peaks in all directions. Here you escape reality to explore gorgeous groomed glade runs (as sublime as foie gras and Champagne on a picnic), sprinkled with shimmering aspens, and brilliant blue sky above just like the name promises.

All this skiing and scenery makes you hungry – the air is thin at 11,570’ (Vail’s peak summit), and hydrating is key – so take a break at one of the lovely on mountain lodges. Two Elk is a truly grand lunch spot, an alpine architectural marvel above 11,000’ (noteworthy that Vail built it twice, tree-huggers on a tirade burned the first lodge down in 1998). Get yourself a Peaks card at Vail’s website, www.snow.com, so you can charge on mountain purchases, and earn points for your next trip (wink, wink).

Because Vail is so famous, and not so far from the big city of Denver – it does attracts throngs on weekends. But since it’s so sprawling, and the lift system is so efficient, you can find your own pocket with a little planning – be it western Game Creek Bowl or easternmost Highline. If you have wee skiers in tow – ski them thru Fort Whippersnapper. Vail’s lift status signs at each peak indicate any lines, scope the scene and go where the lights are green and the snow is pristine.

Skiing down the Front Side skiers’ left is Lions’ Head Village, a totally separate on-slope village where a new RockResort Arabelle and a Ritz debut this winter. This area is busy at the start of the day, so visit after the initial wave of skiers.

The enclosed comfy 12-passenger Eagle Bahn gondola launches you to more great cruisers and the mid-mountain Eagle’s Nest Lodge, where the fun happens into the night at Adventure Ridge – in case you crave more outdoor amusement after the sun sets with snowshoeing, ski bikes, tubing, snowmobiling, even trampoline bouncing.

A great end to your ski day from the summit is the legendary Riva Ridge – the trail created by Peter Seibert and Earl Eaton - Tenth Mountain Division members and founders of Vail, honoring their World War II involvement in the Alps. Riva Ridge is a wonderfully wide undulating cruiser with stunning Rocky Mountain views.

Whatever you do, be sure to save some strength for après ski. Vail Village ranks with the most righteous of ski towns, lounging with the leagues of Aspen and Whistler. Check your skis at The Lodge, luxuriate at the brand new Avanyu RockResort Spa (the latest in posh pampering opens in February), or book a private couples massage in your fireside suite. Then gather your wallet and walking shoes to wander the snow lovers’ town.

By the way, Vail is a vibrant destination for non-skiers – fantastic shops line the heated pedestrian walkways emanating from the Clock Tower. My favorite is Gorsuch for a splurge on Bogner apparel, with a close second being the Golden Bear for gold baubles. Vail Village is a people-watching paradise after the lifts close, celebs are out celebrating and ski pros exit the slopes with skis on shoulders.

As you treasure hunt from boutique to gallery to ski shop, you can browse top chef menus from Austrian to Asian as you ponder where to dine later. You might be prompted into The Red Lion or Pepi’s Pub based on the laughter and love songs floating into the snowy air.

Don’t forget that one of Vail’s finest restaurants is back at the Lodge at Vail; the award-winning Wildflower (Zagat & Wine Spectator attention fetcher) is a gourmet bouquet of tastes. The décor is straight from the Swiss storybook Heidi, and the regionally inspired menu features locally grown produce and venison. Mickey’s Piano Bar is the spot for a night cap, a cozy place to recap your day’s adrenaline moments.

Wednesday evenings, Vail Village hosts free outdoor “Street Beat” concerts. We happened upon one, which was humming with locals – the ultimate endorsement. For a truly memorable evening on the mountain, reserve dinner with the Concierge at the gorgeous Game Creek Club – a snowcat will take you from the gondola summit to dinner at this elegant, high elevation private club.

Vail is plenty of mountain to master, but if you long for more lifts and sweet snowy lines - your Vail ticket is also valid at sister resorts Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone.
Beaver Creek is my fave to see and ski – like the Deer Valley of Colorado. The Village at Beaver Creek is grand and gracious, with a centerpiece ice rink and outdoor escalators for skiers. Be sure to ski to the slopeside Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch for lunch at Spagos if you spend a ski day here.

When Vail opened on December 15, 1962, with one gondola and two chair lifts, $10 scored you a lift ticket, breakfast, dinner and a night at The Lodge at Vail - the only place to stay. Prices, along with Vail’s lift and trail network, have escalated dramatically. The Lodge at Vail still holds the bar high for topnotch hospitality in charming chalet suites, or the ultimate 2,800-square foot penthouse.

Vail has much new to flaunt this season, from the Village to the mountain. But the primary attractions to this king of Colorado skiing remain constant. The powdery snow continues to fall in copious quantity, the sun shines bright most days on these regal Rockies, and the Lodge at Vail is still the place to stay.