You know you've found resort luxury when heated moving walkways and escalators take you the lifts. Even more upscale than its sister resort Vail, Beaver Creek spares no expense insuring its guests live it up – their banner slogan reads "Beaver Creek: Not exactly roughing it." And with staff helping guests find tables at lunch and passing out warm cookies to guests at the end of the ski day, you know that excellent service is part of the deal. An elegant and secluded resort community, Beaver Creek is actually three interconnected base villages, emanating a classy European village-to-village skiing experience like that of the Alps.
Beaver Creek Village is at the heart of the resort, a pedestrian-only area of art galleries, restaurants, shops, bars and a world-class Arts Center all linked by heated walkways, with a pristine outdoor ice rink serving as the centerpiece. Bachelor Gulch village sits mid-mountain, home to the swanky Ritz Carlton, providing guests comfort and class near the action, but not right in it. Arrowhead Village is the western-most gateway to the mountain, with seclusion and slop-side access. But skiing at Beaver Creek does not have to break the bank; nearby towns of Edwards and Avon offer more moderate lodging options and are connected by free daily shuttles to Beaver Creek Village.
Beaver Creek is known for its well-groomed slopes. Expert terrain is left pretty natural though, and the Birds of Prey run is extremely difficult – very long, steep and full of moguls. The downhill course serves up a long and very fast double-diamond cruiser. The Stone Creek Chutes, located east of Rose Bowl, are scooped out of short but very steep pitches of 45 degrees. Beaver Creek is great for intermediate skiers who will enjoy the long and moderately steep pitched runs under the Centennial Express lift. Another great run is Harrier, especially when it's been groomed, and try the Redtail from the same lift. Beaver Creek's learning area is at the base, but all the easiest runs are at the top, so you can get all the same spectacular summit views as the experts. Red Buffalo and Mystic Island are in the Slow Zone and Flattops, Piney and Powel are gentle and wide. Park 101 is a beginner's terrain park featuring rollers, dots and rails. Zoom Room is more progressive, starting with introductory features (rollers, tables, and rails) and moving up to larger features. Moonshine is the most difficult terrain Park in Beaver Creek, featuring large tables, rails, jumps, and log slides.
14 lifts including 1 surface lift and 13 chair lifts.
$$$$ (Very Expensive)146 runs - 34% beginner, 39% intermediate, 27% expert. Longest run is 14,520 feet.
30 km of Cross Country trails.
Mountain Statistics: 4,040 feet vertical drop, 11,440 feet summit elevation, 1,625 acres, average annual accumulation 310 inches.