It’s 8:30 a.m. The air is cold, yet dry, the gentle breeze not quite piercing your jacket. You were aware how busy Vail can get, so you got up extra early this morning to make the quick drive from your hotel to the Lionshead Vail Square to catch the first lift at 9. The narrow valley the resort is situated in doesn’t leave much room for a parking garage however; your spirits slowly sinking as you drive farther and farther from the lifts to find a spot. The walk from your car is intimidating. Everyone knows ski boots aren’t easy to walk in, but somehow all the people around you seem to be managing. As you balance your skis precariously on your shoulder and heave your over packed bag onto your back, the stores and restaurants of the plaza begin to tower around you. 5-star hotels rise even higher above them. A wide variety of foreigners circle around you, walking quickly and with a purpose, dressed so nicely you can smell the money. Finally you spot the lift: The Eagle Bahn Gondola in all its glory…. with 50 people already in line. Wishing you had just stayed home, you grudgingly get in line. Thankfully, your ticket was only $140 (https://www.epicpass.com/passes/epic-pass.aspx).
I don’t mean to paint to bad a picture of the resort. It certainly is premiere in every meaning of the word.The locals are premiere jerks, an air of entitlement surrounding them. Vail doesn’t attract the elite for no reason though, the terrain truly is immaculate. The front face of the mountain is designed much like a lot of other resorts, with long, generally flatter groomed runs, and a few trees and steeps scattered throughout, while the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin is really where the resort shines (Here is a trail map: https://www.vail.com/the-mountain/about-the-mountain/trail-map.aspx). The back of the mountain is carved into six expansive bowls, each boasting countless untouched acres of snow. Generally, I found the bowls farther west more crowded. The Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls attract quite a bit of attention, having easy access to the front face. If you want to be alone head over to the Siberia and Mongolia Bowls (named appropriately)
The Blue Sky Basin does it’s best to give off a true back-country experience, and I’m happy to say it does not disappoint. After crossing a small creak and skiing down a long valley, skiers are able to board the Skyline Express, taking them to 570 acres of virtually unmarked territory. The snow is deep and views impressive. I felt almost transported to another resort; the true west.
While I criticized the Lionshead Square earlier, the infrastructure is frankly impressive. For being located practically 100 miles into the Rocky Mountains, it has the feeling of a downtown city. The food is great, and there’s plenty of shops to by t-shirts bragging: “I Skied Vail”. With only two lifts connecting the base area with the rest of the mountain, the plaza can become quite the choke-point early in the day. However, once everyone has the chance to spread out over the spectacular amount of acres, I didn’t have the constant fear that someone would run into me. Instead of driving and parking, I would recommend catching the Epic Mountain Shuttle (https://www.epicmountainexpress.com/) from wherever you’re staying (Denver, Frisco, Eagle, etc.) to the mountain. Oh and if you get hungry, try and eat at the Two Elk Lodge. It’s a beautiful log building filled from floor to ceiling with windows, and located on the ridge connecting the two faces of the mountain. It makes the day almost worth the cost of the ticket.
Groomed Terrain: 4/5
Backcountry: 5/5
Crowds: 1.5/5
Accessibility: 3/5
Resort Amenities: 5/5
Ticket Value: 2.5/5
Panorama: 4.5/5
Final Rating: 3.6/5 -“For people more interested in how they look than what they’re doing.”
Your blog was light and humorous, which I enjoyed. The fact that you seamlessly threaded your own opinion throughout the blog while still inserting some facts was nice. Not only was it personal, it definitely painted a picture of the ski resort for me; including the 5 senses was key.
This was an interesting review of this resort. I have actually skied somewhere similar, Winter Park Resorts in Colorado, and while I haven’t skied Vail, I have been there in the summer. I can also agree that the locals have the feeling of entitlement however the views make up for it.
I appreciated all of the description that you included in your post. It was entertaining and very informative at the same time. I also liked how you summed up the post with the category rankings out of five at the end. I think that is a great feature to include, especially if a reader is more concerned with one aspect of the resort than the other. Its an easy way for someone to decide if there is a deal-breaker in visiting or not.
Zach,
As a person who has never skied, I was genuinely captivated by your post. Not only that, but your aesthetic is incredibly pleasing and throughout the entire story, it felt like more of an experience rather than me just simply reading over words. You are a very vivid writer and gave a great analysis of this resort; incorporating a healthy balance of opinions, advice, and facts. After this, now I want to ski at those mountains! (After figuring out how to ski of course..)