Resort Review from an intermediate Snowboarder’s perspective, I like blue and black groomers and tree runs, skip the terrain park and love aprés-ski food and drinks:
Overview:
Vail is probably my favorite resort. Its a large resort with over 5,000 skiable acres, it has varied terrain from long groomers to fun glades and the village has everything you could ask for. One downside of Vail is its pricey and has historically been one of the most expensive options.
Pros:
Large ski-able area
Varied terrain (groomers, glades and bowls)
World-class village area and après-ski
Free transportation within the resort
Cons:
Expensive
Long drive from Denver Airport (3hrs+)
Getting there:
To get to Vail I’ve always flown into Denver Airport and taken a shuttle to the resort. Denver’s airport is easy to navigate as it has an internal train system to take you between the terminals and baggage claim.
Denver’s baggage claim area is nicely setup to handle checked ski and snowboard equipment. I’ve never had a problem with quickly picking up my snowboard tube.
Once you pickup your luggage you can walk over to the shuttle counters and be on your way to the resort. I’ve had good experiences with Epic Mountain Express/Colorado Mountain Express so I would highly recommend checking out their shuttles.
The shuttle ride from Denver to Vail will take about 3 hours depending on the traffic and weather. The shuttle typically offer a rest stop break but prepared for a long ride.
Mountain Terrain:
Vail has a ton of terrain as its one of the biggest ski resorts in North America. Front side of the mountain has your groomers, terrain parks and some chutes. The front side is easy accessible from the two gondolas in the base areas. Keep an eye out for some catwalks that can be slow and frustrating for snowboarders as you make your way back down to the base areas.
The Back Bowl area is where I like to spend my time at Vail. The area is a fun open bowl area with good blue and black runs like Poppyfields and my favorite area, Shangri La Glades. The glades start wide open so you can have fun easily weaving in and out of them before they narrow down and get a bit more technical.
From the Back Bowl area you can make your way to Blue Sky Basin which is the furthest area from the village. Blue Sky Basin is amazing on a powder day as it has great ungroomed tree runs. Be aware as there aren’t many amenities at Blue Sky Basin so plan your day accordingly.
I think the one knock some people have on Vail’s terrain is there isn’t anything “extreme”. If you want steep cliffs, areas you need to hike to and other extreme terrain then you might want to consider another resort.
Village/Lodging:
Every time I’ve been to Vail I’ve stayed at a condo within walking distance to Vail Village or Golden Peak for easy lift access. Don’t worry if you can’t get lodging within walking distance, Vail has a free town shuttle to help you get around. The Vail town shuttle provides rides in-town between Lionshead and Goldenpeak lifts as well as shuttles to East and West Vail. Vail has all kinds of lodging options so you should be able to find some options within your budget.
Between Vail Village and Lionshead, the village area has everything you could ask for. The village area is an all pedestrian zone (except for the town shuttle) that has heated streets, making it super easy to get around. The village area has lots of shops, restaurants and bars and even has an multiple ice rinks. On the mountain there are also numerous dining halls and seating areas if you decide to bring your lunch, which I highly recommend to help save some money!
If you are looking to get groceries, you can have them delivered to your lodging through a service like Ski County Grocer or you can take the shuttle to the Safeway in West Vail. There are markets and liquor stores in the village but those are best for small orders unless you are willing to pay the markup.
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