It has been three years since readers voted Vail the No. 1 ski operation in the land. And this year, the quintessential American ski resort endures the ignominy of coming in third—behind some foggy Olympic venue to the north. That won’t go over well at HQ, as Vail takes its business very seriously. Anything less than being on top is considered underperforming. And no wonder, the megaresort has pretty much set the standard for mountain vacations for generations of skiers. Probably better than any resort on the continent, Vail has delivered on its mission to be “everyman’s everything,” as one reader notes. That has been the case since the start. Founder Pete Seibert envisioned Vail as a winter resort—not a ski area—when he opened a slice of Bavaria in Colorado in 1962. Pete’s paradise now stretches seven miles, with 5,289 acres, 3,450 vertical feet, 31 lifts and—give or take a few tickets—1.6 million skier visits each season. So even at No. 3, the resort must be doing something right. Start with the hill, where the fundamentals are in place: No. 3 in Grooming, No. 6 in Lifts, No. 7 in Snow. But with luxury hotels and restaurants, bars, condos and boutiques stretching to the horizon (No. 4 in Après, No. 6 in Dining, No. 8 in Lodging), the
skiing at Vail sometimes, somehow gets overlooked. “Vail is such a huge mountain, it blows my mind,” a reader says. And for many skiers, after they crest the summit and push off, they never look back. “The Back Bowls are as good as it gets,” more than one reader testifies. No, the “cliffs-and-chutes set” won’t get the same buzz here as in Jackson or Squaw. And Vail can be too much for some people, as in “too much attitude, too many people, too many dollars spent,” making it “the Escalade of ski resorts.” But Vail continues to innovate, as the $600 no-strings Epic Pass shows. Vail, you see, works hard at creating reasons for generation after generation of skiers to return to Pete’s place.
/ What’s New / The Four Seasons Resort Vail (the first Four Seasons in Colorado) is scheduled to open for the ski season, while the Solaris resort, anchor of the new Vail Village, is set to open this spring. Also, snowmaking upgrades on Golden Peak; renovations throughout the kids terrain parks.
/ Don’t Miss /Après singalong with Rod Powell at Pepi’s. You know you want to.
/ Mandatory Run / Simba in the late afternoon. Access it off the Eagle Bahn gondola in Lionshead. It’s a wide-open cruiser that’s virtually empty when skiers start heading in for the day. You can break the sound barrier, but stay on top of your skis: There’s a short but steep face near the bottom of the run that can sneak up on you.
Photo Courtesy of Vail Resorts/Chris McLennen
