Vail Things to Do

3 more images

Vail offers some of the best skiing in the Rocky Mountains. It has the largest contiguous skiable terrain in the US and gets plenty of snow. The town is at 2500 metres above sea level and the highest skiable altitude is around 3500 metres (vertical drop of 1000 metres), but the surrounding peaks rise well above 4000 metres. The front side of the mountain facing vail is extensive and quite challenging, but could get crowded on peak weekends. The back bowls, on the other hand, are vast and are rarely crowded. There, skiing between the trees, or where there are no trees, tends to be the norm...

4 more images

This is in the midst of the Rockie Mountain chain, and to the west of the most high range. It is situated about 40 miles west of the Eisenhower Tunnel that is in the middle of the highest point-Loveland Pass. It is 80 miles west of Denver. There would still be 10+ miles of driving through the mountains before getting to a flatter plain heading west.
The Rockies are a majestic eroding mountain range that still holds the award for the best known and mighty crests. Loveland Pass is 11,990 feet high, and the Eisenhower Tunnel goes under it to avoid climbing the winding old highway that still exists. Colors of the mountain range are grey, green , black, and covered by many pines. It takes around 40 miles to get through it all end to end and get on more level ground

4 more images

There is mid VAi (Vail Village along with Lionshead complex), West and East VAil. It has got so big that buses cart people around to mitigate the traffic issues. End to End it stretches about 2 miles now, and all off US 70. The mid section is the hub of shopping and staying in hotels. The outlying is the condos that owners have for use, or rental when not there. The whole theme of the shops are patterned after an Alpine concept. It is well done and the quality of the structures and the goods are top notch. The hope by Vail Resorts is to get the high wealth people come here and spend and stay. It works in good times. The shops are mostly all expensive merchandise; but why else did you come here? I counted around 150 shops and restaurants and some places to stay in the Village area.

4 more images

Ski activity is the vogue here and the Vail village got its start that way. Now to make it a year round resort and condo sale area, they have bike and hiking trial in the mountains to boot. Some are the same, or side by side of the ski lanes. Numerous paths are carved out of the treeline, and the mountain looks a bit denuded. The draw is to ski,. bike, hike and the underlying goal is to sell condos and goods.
Vail Resorts has been developing the area since 1950's even though the wave did not get a big start until 1980's, then by mid decade all the resorts literally "died". I was a part of the Breckenridge bankruptcy that took the ownership away form St. Louis founder Don. And then Copper Mountain was another problem that was mothballed for some years until money and popularity came back to Colorado. They now have a long row of shops and retail to attract all types and kinds, even though the catering is to the high end sector. This is real life. Vail now has sky cranes erected and building two new multi story places? Will it work?

2 more images

The purpose to offer the amenities at Vail for the owners is to sell and build condos. It continues to expand over the last 40 years and now has sprawled out into a real community with normal issues as to town living. Traffic and people are centralized into the main center, and this has caused the requirement to use the bus system to get around. Coming to town, you can shop and eat, and enjoy the tourists.

1 more image

This is right in the middle of Vail Village, on the top section by the visitor center. It is short and brief, and the ultimate goal is to shop for a souvenir, or take home keepsake. They do have some old skis and show the layout of the mountain in the old days. The museum shows the history of skiing being a key attribute for the population of Colorado and this area for commerce and mail service initially. Later it evolved into a ski resort area form a train coming through here.

Snowmobiling Tours as well as Self-Guided Snowmobile Rentals are available in the Vail Backcountry. Ride with a guide at Fremont Pass or explore the Continental Divide on your own atop Vail Pass on a rental machine. Various levels of tours are available for all abilities.

Lionshead is the western part of Vail and is considered a separate community from Vail Village, about 5 minutes away by bus. Lionshead is in the process of reinventing itself as a nordic/alpine town with many of the once boring buildings in the centre of the village getting a facelift. The buildings have been beautifully renovated to resemble Scandinavian and Austrian architecture, complete with frescoes clocks and turrets. Lionshead is a better base for skiing due to having the fast gondola at its base.