Vail, CO Sept. 29--Vail's Category III expansion is ready to open--or at least 60 percent of it is. President of Vail Resorts, Andy Daly, announced today that the Category III expansion area had made sufficient enough progress to open on January 6, 2000.
"Our crews have been working very hard throughout the summer," reported Andy Daly, president of Vail Resorts. "We stuck close to our schedules and we also got a little lucky that some things have gone better than anticipated."
The Category III area, now called Blue Sky Basin, will open three high-speed quad lifts and 520 of its 885 acres. A warming hut, ski patrol outpost, and restroom facilities will be located in the area.
Blue Sky Basin is located on the south side of Vail's Back Bowls to the south of Two Elk Creek. The area includes gladed and naturally open terrain and conventional groomed trails in Pete's Bowl and Earl's Bowl. Seventy-three percent of the terrain will be intermediate while 27-percent will be advanced.
The opening of Blue Sky Basin coincides with the Vail 2000 Sports Invitational on January 6-9, 2000. This weekend-long celebration features celebrities from both entertainment and business taking part in activities and ski races to benefit the Water Keeper Alliance, a non profit organization set up by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dedicated to protecting community ecosystems.
Blue Sky Basin is expected to be completed during the 2000-2001 season and will total 885 acres.
