I worked part time for Vail in the summer for free pass. As a local, we always work our way to Blue Sky first thing in the morning because those lifts are the first to close. Then the bowls, then the front side if your legs can take it! Unfortunately I have too many orthopedic issues and no longer ski. Having skied all over the West, Vail is my favorite. Snow quality is some of the best.
Getting a hotel in Denver is an incredibly long drive and risk the pass being closed. If you're really on a budget, then stay in Eagle. It's about 25 minutes away, more affordable, and is where many of the locals live.
lol I've sent vail pass multiple times in a Prius, wish I had my ridgeline back then...though I guess I didn't need it, ha! vail is fun! check out beaver creek next time
Excellent, well-done and informative vids👍🏽 Small world I live in the lower Hudson Valley area of NY and am quite familiar with the areas you mentioned. I'm old enough to remember going to Mountain Creek when it was Vernon Valley/Action Park. Mountain Creek has gotten a bit pricey but still a good NY Metro area option. I'm a beginner looking to avoid crowded areas while I'm learning. The winter we had here was the harshest in a while so local, ski areas were packed on school holidays and weekends. All the best!
SEVEN MILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW did you get over there and back on the other end of the back bowls all in one day?
I worked in Vail as a lift operator back in 1990. Those were the hey days for empty runs during the weekdays during heavy snow storms. Only the hard core skiers and locals would be out there. Skiing alone during a heavy snow storm on the back bowls than was the best skiing I ever have done. A 19" day and a 24" day were the best. Yes I have skied California several times Utah and Wyoming. Working there the entire season was the deal breaker for sure.
We skied VAIL 40 years ago, back then 18 to 25$ for a lift ticket, the back bowls were a little smaller then, I believe. It was by far my favorite place to ski. Copper Mountain down the road from Vail was a good place too, I worked there in my younger days. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing your awesome day at Vail! Next time you visit keep in mind that instead of traversing the entire mountain to get back to Lionshead you can take Riva Ridge (one of the nicest runs on the mountain) to Golden Peak where the terrain park is, click your skis off and jump on the Vail transit back to your hotel. Maybe we can hit the slopes for a few runs when I get back that way!
There are easier ways down several of the back bowls. They typically groom a path top to bottom. I'd say someone who's comfortable on blues would be fine.
Good videos-well thought out. One point of clarification from a Vail Valley guy: I think it would be better to say that you “skied at vail for a day” rather than you “skied vail in a day.” Your route was cool given your parking choice. However some of the best frontside areas which are huge are Northwoods, Highline, below the One such as mudslide, and the trees throughout the front (and back for that matter). Even riding one run in each of these areas adds about half a day. All great reasons to come back for more. Cheers!
There's a bunch of shops near lion's-head parking garage that sell the hats. I popped into several of those shops before I found the hat I wanted - I don't remember the name of that particular shop. As for restaurants.. I didn't eat at Vail.. anyone else in the comments have a recommendation for restaurants?
So cool! My partner and I are taking a trip later this month and only have one day to ride, so will definitely be taking some of your advice! (she's a beginner so no backside for us!lol) I've grown up only riding the east so really excited to experience that terrain!
How are the blue runs out here at vail? Are they kinda mellow, or are they pretty steep like some of the places in Utah (Park city for instance) it seems like the Utah resorts blue runs are steep like black runs just without mogals
We are heading up to colorado from east coast to ski some epic pass mountains like breck vail keystone for thanksgiving. What should I be expecting in trail terms?
Breck, Vail and Keystone all have great groomed trail options similar to the East coast. However, you will be dealing with significantly higher altitude, so it's a good idea to acclimate for a day or two before skiing. You can also expect to bump up the difficulty levels of all trail types by about 15% in my estimation, meaning the greens, blues, and blacks are 15% harder than East coast greens, blues, and blacks. There is also a chance you'll be dealing with a lot more natural snow, possibly more loose-packed snow as well. There's so much more terrain on those Colorado mountains that they don't groom everything the way they do in the East. Having wider skis is helpful for this. You'll have a lot more options for completely ungroomed terrain as well. Oh, and the trails are way longer.
@@EveryotherKarl thanks for the reply! I can’t mogul at all, so I was worried that I have to miss out of all the back-bowls/ black diamond slopes. Just to make sure, all the black slopes still have non-mogul skiable areas correct?
Lol, you forgot the most important tip, which is to go anywhere else, if you actually enjoy skiing. If you don't, then vail is perfect - just pick your favorite lift and wait in line all day 🤣🤣🤣
I'm pretty sure you can drop into the backside right from the back of Game Creek bowl. Which can be a quick way of getting to the back bowls from Lionshead without traversing the frontside.
Pretty funny. As long as Karl keeps skiing these routes and vusitors follow his lines ... none of you will get in our way. So funny. Really? You came all the way from the east coast to finish on Capoaciono? LOL. I bet you went for an apres beer at the Red Lion with every other Ricky and Joey in town. Thanks for the laughs, and congrats on getting to the Lionshead parking structure in time to pay $25 for a space. I'll give you credit for being an early riser.
You sound like the type of dude who challenges the new guy in town to a race to the bottom of the mountain, only for him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, as well as your girlfriend and the respect of the townsfolk
