Lifts & Terrain
Vail is a huge ski resort with 2,140 hectares (5,289 acres) of varied terrain for all ability levels. The ski and snowboard terrain is essentially divided into three areas – Front Side, Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin.
The Front Side faces north (away from the sun) and has the greatest vertical. It is mostly heavily treed, and has the vast majority of the groomed terrain and over half the lifts of the resort.
The infamous Back Bowls are seven south facing back bowls that suck in the snow and soak up the sun to provide 600 vertical metres of face shot heaven. Named Game Creek, Sun Down, Sun Up, Tea Cup, China, Siberia, and Mongolia (Inner and Outer), the back bowls offer some of the most fabulous inbounds bowl skiing in the world.
Blue Sky Basin is for advanced skiers and boarders. Some intermediate terrain exists as well, but there are only a few groomed trails. The unmanicured terrain is a bucket of fun for anyone willing to go exploring.
Vail Ski Lifts
Vail’s massive terrain is serviced by a gondola (the Eagle Bahn), 16 express quad chairs, 4 other chairlifts, and an assortment of t-bars and pomas. The system is well placed, modern, and efficient, and the lifts are 100% powered by electricity sourced from clean, renewable sources.
Four lifts (Eagle Bahn gondola and three express quads) provide the oomph to move the crowd from the base to the top of the hill. These lifts service the two main areas of the village, Vail Village and Lionshead. Once out of the village, the options are dizzying. Choose wisely Grasshopper and you will be rewarded.
Lift Tickets
If Vail has a drawback, it is that a day lift pass can be a little exxy (particularly if you have an exchange rate akin to the Zimbabwean currency). As to be expected, all the lifts, staff, groomers, ski patrol etc don’t come for nothing. But just when you think your credit card will spontaneously combust, the aptly named EPIC pass comes to the rescue.
The
EPIC Pass costs the equivalent of a 6 day lift pass, but it’s good for the entire season. The Pass is valid at Vail,
Keystone,
Arapahoe Basin, Beaver Creek, and Breckenridge, so if you’re heading to Colorado for a few weeks, this pass is …..well epic. It also covers
Heavenly (Lake Tahoe). There are a host of other ‘benefits’ that come with the EPIC Pass including a 12 month subscription to ‘Ski’ magazine, 6 ‘ski with a friend’ tickets and other freebies.
Vail Snow and Weather Conditions
Thanks to its high elevation, the 350 inches (8.9m, on average) of snow that falls annually is of champagne quality, and is well retained. During the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, Vail scored over 430 inches of snowfall. Strangely, Vail also has about 300 sunny days per year. If there are filthy blizzard conditions, Vail has various aspects so it’s always possible to find a sheltered area with a lift turning.
For the Beginner
Novice skiers are catered for in the Golden Peak and Eagles Nest areas. The best beginner terrain at Vail is at the Sourdough Express lift. It’s up high so the snow quality is perfect. Beautiful wide, super groomed and tree lined runs (ie sheltered) converge at the base of the chair. Alternatively runs can be extended down Flapjack to the Northwoods Express. Other areas with good beginner terrain are around the Mountaintop Express, but the base area of Mid Vail can get very congested.
Unfortunately much of the beginner terrain at Vail is actually on Cat tracks, which leaves little run for error. So get a lesson, learn fast and get on the bountiful intermediate runs.
Intermediate Ski and Snowboard Terrain
The front side of Vail has countless intermediate runs. You’d struggle to ride them all in a week. Many intermediates are understandably drawn to the Mid Vail area on the Frontside. There are some fantastic runs to be had, however be warned. It can get really busy.
Stick to the marked trails if you’re not confident off-piste, as some of the intermediate terrain at Vail can be deceiving. For instance in the Northwoods area, stray into the trees skiers left of Snag Park and you’re going to be skiing an advanced line with some surprise drops and tight spots.
The Game Creek Bowl has some choice terrain for intermediates to progress and try a few advanced runs. On a powder day, runs like Faro, Ouzo and Ouzo Glade will get you onto some pitch, but with the added safety of being able to traverse out to ‘safer’ terrain if you get in trouble.
For the Family/Kids
Adventure Ridge near Eagles Nest (at the top of the Eagle Bahn) is the centre for family fun. Open from 2pm to 9pm, 5 days a week, there is something for everyone. Snow tubing, kids snowmobiles, free snowshoe tours, Nature Discovery Centre in a yurt, bungee harnessed trampolines and snow biking are all available. Access to Adventure Ridge on the Eagle Bahn gondola is free.
Park and Pipe
Vail has three terrain parks for different ability levels that are designed to allow smooth learning progression (Hah!). Flight School Terrain Park is next to the Fly Zone under the Riva Bahn Express. It has a beginner half pipe and is Vail's official learning park. Aviator Park under the Eagle Bahn on lower Bwana combines small to medium rails and boxes to further prepare for entering the Fly Zone. The Fly Zone Terrain Park under the Riva Bahn Express is world class. At a mile long (1.6km), it contains a superpipe, professional style jumps and enough rails and hits to leave you bruised and battered for a lifetime.
Advanced Ski and Board Terrain
Vail provides some of the best bowl skiing in the world for advanced skiers and boarders. Boarders should avoid going out to Inner and Outer Mongolia, unless they are prepared for the torture of a long walk.
For advanced riders that relish the thought of a well pitched, super groomed, fast, long, leg burning black run, look no further than Riva. You can smoke down here at Mach 2 with your sphincter puckering the whole way as your legs turn to jelly. It gets groomed once a week, so check the grooming reports.
In Blue Sky Basin there are some “must dos”. These include jumping off the extensive cornice at Lovers Leap, and hucking off the rocks in the Skree Field. Otherwise just go exploring.
To show off at the end of the day (or crash and burn in front of an après crowd), rip a bumpy line down Pepi's Face at the base of the Vista Bahn.
Vail Expert Skiing and Snowboarding
Whilst Vail doesn’t have the steep alpine chutes of some other resorts in USA, there is ample terrain for the expert. Cornices, tight steep trees, small cliff lines and mega moguls can be found at Vail, but some spots require a bit of recon.
Easy to get to technical trees are on the Frontside off the Gitalong Road. These include the Frontside Chutes, Mudslide, The Narrows and Pumphouse. Cover can be a bit dodgy here, so adhere to any closed signs or suffer the consequences to your body.
Also on the Frontside, long, well pitched bump runs exist off the Highline and Northwoods Express lifts. Opportunities exist to duck into the pine trees also. Various cliff lines, cornices and tight steep trees exist off the Northwoods Express. Drop in off the rim anywhere from between the top of the lift along to the Prima cornice area. However, scope out your entry before diving in!
For the Powder Hound
On powder days EVERYONE heads for the Back Bowls first (particularly Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls), closely followed by Blue Sky Basin. If you get on the first lifts this is fine, but on a weekend you’ll quickly feel the need to move on to find your own patch of paradise.
On the Frontside, if you want some turns sans people, look at the runs around the Northwoods Express. These include North and South Rim, Gandy Dancer and Northstar Nice cornice entries into deep pow. There are also some great ‘secret stashes’ in the trees and the old lift line to the skiers left off Cub’s Way. Some of the runs like Ledges and Minnies don’t get too much early traffic either.
The windows area in Sundown Bowl gets stacks of powder that can last a while because the entries can be a tad confusing.
Siberia Bowl is distant enough that it can hold good powder even on a busy day, particularly towards Mongolia. If the Mongolia lift isn’t running early, the short walk up to ski the beautifully named Bolshoi Ballroom can be rewarding.
For freshies several days after a storm look to the trees. Riva Glade is fun but it gets tight down the bottom. There are no marked trails in the trees in Blue Sky basin either side of the Skyline express. Explore the terrain between Heavy Metal and The Divide, and also between Montane Glade and the lower Skyline Express lift. This is expert country so buyers beware.