The top of the Mongolia Lift (11,455 ft / 3,492 m) is the highest point in the Back Bowls. Accessed from the bottom of China Bowl, Blue Sky Basin has 645 acres (261 ha) of ridges, glades, meadows, and gulleys.Īt 11,570 ft (3,527 m) above sea level, the top of Pete’s Lift in Blue Sky Basin is the highest point on Vail Mountain. With 3,017 acres (1,221 ha) of terrain, the bowls are bigger than the entirety of Breckenridge.
TWO ELK LODGE VAIL SERIES
A series of several bowls on the face opposite the Front Side. It consists of 1,655 acres (670 ha) of skiable terrain suitable for skiers of all abilities. The ski terrain is divided between three large zones or ‘sides.’ They are: They are Golden Peak, Vail Village, and Lionshead from east to west. Vail is a contiguous ski resort with three base areas. Therefore, snowmaking is limited to a handful of popular areas on the Front Side. While there is generally plenty of natural snow, the resort has increased its snowmaking infrastructure to ensure it can stay open longer in years with limited snowfall. Vail utilizes artificial snow in a few select areas.
It can get frigid at night, often in the single digits (Fahrenheit), but the air feels warmer due to the low relative humidity. January is the coldest month, with average high temperatures just below freezing. In terms of temperature, it doesn’t tend to get particularly cold. The Back Bowls are usually open by Christmas, quickly followed by Blue Sky Basin.Įven during the height of winter, Vail is generally a sunny place. As snow accumulates, the rest of the front tends to open in fits and spurts from mid-November to mid-December. Though snowfall is difficult to predict, Vail reliably gets around 60-70 inches (165 - 175 cm) of fresh snow every month from December through March, amounting to about 13 days of snowfall each month.Īt the start of the season, only a few lifts on the Front Side are open. It snows consistently from mid-December through the end of March. Whether you love fresh powder or groomers, the Colorado cold smoke’s texture will make you smile. Colder overnight temperatures, low relative humidity, and less wind combine to produce light snow that is dryer and less sticky. Vail gets the light, fluffy snow that makes Colorado legendary with all sorts of skiers. These dances can be complex, but the best way to avoid the masses is simply to get out early and ski in lesser-known recesses of the Back Bowls. Plenty of long-time locals still live in Vail and have a magical sixth sense for avoiding crowds throughout the day. Vail is enormously popular, and the Front Side regularly suffers from, well, insufferable crowds. Weekends are busier throughout the season as day skiers come up from the cities. It’s also not unique in that it gets busiest between Christmas and New Year, with another bump in the crowds during MLK and President’s Day Weekends and the March spring break. Like other Colorado ski resorts, Vail tends to open by late November and close by late April.
Vail’s three base areas (Golden Peak, Vail Village, and Lionshead) are easily accessible via bus.
TWO ELK LODGE VAIL FREE
The town of Vail has several free bus lines that serve the town and resort. Those landing in Eagle can take the hourly Eagle County Bus for under $10. Public Transportationįour Bustang buses leave from Denver’s Union Station headed west every day (a train will get you to the station from the airport). The Epic Mountain Express costs $129 from Denver and $49 from Eagle. The Eagle and Denver Airports offer shuttles that take you directly to Vail.
TWO ELK LODGE VAIL FOR FREE
When the parking lots fill up, guests are allowed to park for free on the Frontage Road. You can park for up to 1 hour without paying, but staying for an entire ski day will cost you $30 (or $40 if it’s a peak day). Vail has two large parking garages located at Vail Village and Lionshead. Between winter storms, the sheer volume of vehicles attempting to cross the High Rockies, and the car accidents resulting from these factors, skiers often wait several hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Unfortunately, there is traffic more often than not during the winter. Without traffic, the drive takes about 90 minutes. I-70 goes straight through the middle of Colorado from east to west, with Vail 96 mi (155 km) west of downtown Denver.
The much larger Denver Airport is 115 mi (186 km) in the opposite direction on the same highway. The Eagle County Airport (EGE) is just 34 mi (55 km) west of the ski area along I-70. Located on Interstate-70 (I-70) and well-served by airports, Vail is a very accessible mountain in Central Colorado. Mount of the Holy Cross (14,009 ft / 4,270 m), a 14er, is visible from various places on the resort. The ski area has excellent views of the Sawatch and Gore Ranges (both of which are part of the Southern Rocky Mountains). Vail is in Eagle County, Colorado, encompassing a vast land parcel in the White River National Forest.
0 kommentar(er)
