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Vail Resort
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Vail Mountain is accessed by three base areas: Lionshead, Vail Village, and Golden Peak. Lionshead is home to the Eagle Bahn Gondola and Born Free Express (Chair 8). Mountain access out of Vail Village 2012/2013 will be by Vail's new state of the art gondola. Golden Peak is home to the Riva Bahn Express (Chair 6), accessing the terrain park and Northwoods Chair 11, and the race course. Also at Golden Peak is Chair 12, the Gopher Hill Ski School beginner lift.
The Front Side of Vail is home to the most groomed terrain on the planet. Wide, long runs such as Riva Ridge, Born Free, and Simba, Lodgepole, and Bear Tree are popular. Check the daily grooming report for up to date info on where the best places are to ski groomed terrain. The Front Side is also home to Kid's Adventure Zones, three Terrain Parks, Game Creek Bowl, The EpicMix race course, and mountain dining restaurants at Eagles Nest (including Bistro Fourteen), Mid-Vail, the 10th, and Larkspur at the base of Golden Peak.
The World Famous Back Bowls offer wide open skiing and amazing views. Start by exploring Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls, and work your way back to China and Teacup Bowls. China Bowl offers the only groomed blue run runs in the Back Bowls (access from Front Side via Sourdough Express #14). If you are feeling adventurous, make your way all the way out to Siberia Bowl and the surface T-Bar style lift #22 and Inner and Outer Mongolia Bowls!
Not enough terrain for you yet? Follow signage from Patrol Headquarters back to the three high speed quad lifts and Blue Sky Basin. Ski the steep and snow filled sections under Skyline Express #36, or explore the runs on Pete's and Earl's Express lifts (#38 and #39), named after Vail's founders Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton.
Dates and Hours
2012-2013 Season: Friday, Nov. 16, 2012 - Sunday, April 14, 2013
Hours of Operations (MST) 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Hours extend over the course of the season)
Elevations
Base Elevation 8,120 ft. /2,476 m
Mid-Elevation: 10,250 ft. /3,125 m
Peak Elevation: 11,570 ft. /3,527 m
Vertical Rise: 3,450 ft. /1,052 m
Snow
Snowmaking: 461 acres/187 ha
Average Annual Snowfall: 354 inches/899 cm
Acreage
Total Skiable Terrain: 5,289 acres/2,141 ha
Front Side: 1,627 acres/658 ha
Back Bowls: 3,017 acres/1,221 ha
Blue Sky Basin: 645 acres/ 261 ha
Trail Classification
53% Expert/Advanced
29% Intermediate
18% Beginner
Conventional Trails 193
Longest Run: Riva Ridge – 4 miles/6.4 km
Lifts
Total number of lifts: 31
Gondola: 2
High-speed quads: 16
Fixed-grip quad: 1
Triple chairs: 2
Double chairs: 1
Surface lifts: 3
Conveyors: 6
Total Uphill Capacity: 59,069 people per hour
Terrain Parks
3 Parks: Golden Peak (small, medium and large features), Bwana (small and medium features) and Pride (small and medium features). All parks have progressions suitable for each level of rider/skier.
1 22' Superpipe
1 13' Mini Halfpipe
Climate
Winter (recorded on the mountain)
Daytime low temperatures in the teens with averages in the 20's and 30's
Below 30 degrees nighttime
Vail sees more than 300 days of sunshine per year
Getting Here
Conveniently located off Interstate 70, in the center of the state, Vail is the headquarters for an ideal Rocky Mountain vacation.
Eagle Airport - Located 35 miles west of Vail, Eagle Airport (EGE) is serviced in the winter by American, Continental, Delta and United with non-stop flights to and from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (Kennedy and LaGuardia) and Newark. For more information and the latest schedules and available flights, visit www.FlyVail.com.
Denver International Airport (DIA) - Located 110 miles east of Vail via Interstate 70, Denver International Airport (www.FlyDenver.com) offers numerous daily flights to and from most major U.S. cities, and connections to destinations around the world.
Ground Transportation - Boasting an unsurpassed safety record, flexible schedules, impeccably maintained vehicles, and courteous and friendly drivers, Colorado Mountain Express (CME) is the best link to Vail's pedestrian village. CME offers access to and from both Denver International Airport and the Eagle Airport. For details and reservations visit www.rideCME.com.
Getting Arround - In addition to pedestrian-friendly streets, the Town of Vail operates the largest free public transportation system in the country. Visitors can also access public transportation to nearby Avon, Beaver Creek, Minturn, Leadville and Edwards for a nominal fee on ECO Transportation (http://www.eaglecounty.com/eco_transit/index.cfm).
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Activities (17)
- Skiing - Downhill
- Skiing - Cross-Country
- Snowboarding
- Snowshoeing
- Bicycling - Road
- Bicycling - Mountain
- Shopping
- Golf
- Fishing
- Tennis
- Spas
- Horseback Riding
- Rafting
- Kayaking - White Water
- Hiking
- Disc Golf
- Running - Trail
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