Vail Mountain, Vail

Vail is probably the most renowned resort in the country. It boasts Colorado's best terrain, and holds the title of largest ski resort in North America. With an unbelievable 32 lifts, the skiiable terrain at Vail includes the entire front side of the mountain, 2,734 acres of back bowls, and an additional 500 acres of an area called Blue Sky Basin, which just opened on January 6, 2000. There is absolutely no way that you could explore this entire mountain in one day. A week and you would just be getting to know each other.


The Villages which run the length of the base of the hill are full of old-world charm. Free shuttles take skiers to four spots at the base of the hill, each with its own lift access to Vail's peaks, all which hover at 11,000 feet. The gondola ride to Adventure Ridge is free after 2pm for foot traffic, and at the top are restaurants, ski school, a tubing hill, ice-skating, laser tag, ski-bike and snowmobile tours, and the Discovery Center, an interactive educational museum of sorts. This year Vail also offered up some ways to save dinero, with an early bird discount at all on-mountain restaurants, and the incorporation of the Peaks Card, the skier's version of Frequent Flyer Miles. (Peaks Cards are good at Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Keystone Resorts—Call 800.842.8062 for details.)


Basically, Vail is to skiing what Pipeline is to surfing. It's one four-letter word that is uttered with relish, and welcomed rather than shunned. People travel from all over the world to experience Vail, and the mountain didn't gain this reputation by trickery....she is definitely world-class.