Ski Vail...Have Fun
Written: Mar 01 '02 (Updated Mar 02 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: snow, huge amount of terrain, lifts, food
Cons: liftlines
The Bottom Line: Vail is a huge mountain that has something for everyone, on and off the slopes.
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| jclark2's Full Review: Vail |
Simply put Vail is far and away the most extensive ski mountain i have ever been too. Many resorts claim to have terrain for every type of skier, Vail does. Not only do they have the terrain but they have so much of it that you will never ski all the terrain that suits you in a week.
I was at Vail President's week 2002 and the weather was just excellent. The first two days it was sunny and quite warm, maybe even up to 40 degrees on the lower part of the mountain. The second day dawned with the back bowls socked in and snow falling. It snowed through the day and through at least part of the night. I expected a huge powder day the next day. The snow report claimed 5 inches of new snow. In the back bowls it was at least a foot. The views at Vail are just spectacular. You can see the amazing Elk Mountains toward Aspen as well as the Gore Mountains. In terms of weather, and views I think Vail is pretty tough to beat.
Snow conditions the first two days were nothing special, packed powder but crunchy and sun-beaten in the back bowls. After a foot of fresh snow it became just epic. On the front side that morning there was a solid 5 inches but in the back the snow was knee to thigh deep. My first run down Sun Down bowl was probably the best run of my life. The front side got pretty bumped up from the fresh snow but the next day was outstanding packed powder conditons.
Because Vail is just so huge i actually didn't really get to see the beginner area of the mountain but i am absolutely positive that it is extensive, with its own lifts and vast amount of terrain. The greens from Two Elk to chair 11 are excellent, long, wide and relatively mellow. They certainly beat the cattracks that are often the only green runs at many areas.
Vail undoubtedly has the most intermediate terrain of any mountain i have ever seen. Simba is an amazingly long cruiser above Lionshead. It is interrupted by a bump field but there is a way around. Avanti is another just amazing cruiser blue that will have your quads screaming for mercy by the time you hit the liftline. All the runs that funnel down to chair 11 from the Two Elk side of the chair are awesome intermediate skiing. Heading down to Mid-Vail, Cappuccino, Expresso, Whistle Pig are also great blue runs. Almost all of Game Creek Bowl is completely doable for an intermediate skier. Just watch out for the snow conditions on the south-facing part of the bowl. I believe the lower part of the mountain also has extensive intermediate terrain but i truly did not really get to ski it.
A confident intermediate just owes it to himself to head to the back bowls and blue sky basin. Stay clear of Sun Down bowl the sun is iffy and the pitch a little steep. Sun Up bowl is just perfect intermediate terrain. The pitch isn't too steep even though it's marked black. They'll usually groom one face on it but if there is fresh snow there won't be any bumps. That's really the time to head to the back anyway right? Also head to China Bowl where the blacks are pretty steep but there are several blue lines. the entire left side of the bowl skiing down is blue-pitch even if some is marked black. look for Poppyfields on the map. Siberia Bowl and Mongolia Bowls are pretty remote for an intermediate and somewhat steep perhaps. Blue Sky basin has quite a bit of good intermediate runs like Grand Review and the Star. look at the map and just hit them.
Vail is great for an advanced skier. I would say about 95% of the lines in the back bowls are accesible to you. Nothing back there is really super steep. Once again Sun Up Bowl and China Bowl are both great, not all that steep, good bumps if its been a while since it snowed. An advanced skier should also head to Siberia Bowl and ski Red Square, Bolshoi's Ballroom. Most of the front side is pretty good too. Chair 11 has great blacks. Watch out under the Mountain-Top express though, there are some serious steeps and cliffs there that are semi-concealed from the lift. If you are a bump skier you can ski any single black diamond on the mountain, none of them are truly super steep. The only ones that could be called very steep are South Rim, North Rim and the bottom of Gandy Dancer. There are so many runs for the advanced skier that it is impossible to name them. You really have to just look at the trail map and try to hit em all. Don't miss Blue Sky, the blues and blacks there are awesome and it probably has the best snow at Vail. Vail probably has more for this skier than any other mountain in the United States. There is really very little that and advanced skier can't ski.
This terrain, does however, exist. Most of it is off of Chair 11. When you ride up Chair 11 you will see and imposing and rocky ridge line high and to your right that seems to be above the top of the lift. This ridge is Prima Cornice, the pinnacle of Vail expert skiing. This short face pobably matches up in pitch with almost anything. If there is good snow there will indeed be a cornice, maybe 20 feet. If not there will be boulders you have to work your way around to get in. The going is rough, I would recommend against skiing it alone. This is scary steep stuff. My shoulder almost touched the snow when i stood straight up on the run. My guess is its close to 50 degrees. Be careful and you'll have a great run. Prima is the long, steep bump run that Prima Cornice comes off of. Its hard, the bumps are big and it gets pretty steep. For a great finish to Prima cut right onto Pronto. This is the first run you see to your right as you go up the lift. It is as steep as it looks and the bumps are bigger. Highline, Roger's and Blue Ox are good bump runs but not that steep. Truthfully, anything to the right of Chair 11 on your right going up that comes back to 11 will be great.
Zot feels easy at the beginning but comes to a large cliff part way down. my advice is to work your way around these cliffs. if you go left you can end up at bigger cliffs with trees at the bottom of them, and which are very difficult to get around.
Definitely spend most of your time in the Back Bowls if you are an expert. Ski em all. Ski Rasputin's Revenge in Siberia Bowl. Watch out for the big cornice at the top. Its not terribly steep under it but it is terribly fun. You'll find powder in Siberia Bowl after 11 am on a pow day and probably later in Mongolia. Save em, they'll still be there late. ghengis Khan in China Bowl is great along wiht that whole face. ahhh, ski every line back there if you can. I'm sure you can't but try. Oh yea don't be afraid to head back there when it's socked in. Most people won't and the snow will just be amazing. Just go slow to account for the bad visibility. Hit Blue Sky but especially if its really warm, you can bet the snow will still be good back there. Hit it on a powder day also. Vail may not have the highest percentage of black terrain but because its so big it still has a lot.
The problem at a lot of ski resorts is what to do after the lifts shut down at 3:30 or 4. Here too, Vail excels. No, Vail isn't the biggest party town but Vail Village will take more than an evening to explore and there are easily over 100 restaurants. Sweet Basil and Campo de Fiori are both excellent choices in Vail Village. Sweet basil is kind of eccentric. Campo is out of this world Italian Food. At least one night head over to Vail Cascade and go to Chaps, the restaurant in the lobby. Mostly it is a steak house but they have plenty of other great food. Take your pick anything on the menu is bound to be great. If you have to have your sushi Nozawa is probably the best Japanese in the area. It's across I-70 from the Village and as short as the ride is its expensive if you take a cab. Still, though good food.
Vail also has plenty of places to stay. Lodge at Vail and Vail Cascade are both very nice but also very expensive. Cascade has a lift for its guest's use that goes up to Simba. You can then ski down to Lionshead. There are lots of great places in Lionshead. For location you can't beat the Lionsquare Lodge. It is maybe 50-100 feet from the Gondola right at the base. Definitely a great choice.
No matter what kind of skier you are or even if you don't ski, you will love Vail. The stories about crowds are overblown. They are ther, at lunch and on early morning lift lines but once everyone's up the mountain they're generally not bad and it's not rare to find yourself alone on a trail. If you go to the bowls you will easily find a line to yourself. There are many other great places to ski but don't skip Vail because people like to bash. it's a great mountain and a great resort and you owe yourself at least one trip.
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
Best Time to Visit: February
Best Suited For: Families
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Epinions.com ID:
jclark2
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Location: New Rochelle, NY
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 3 members
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