Unarguably the country's top ski resort, Vail attracts skiers and snowboarders from all over the world looking for (and receiving) the entire package deal. Vail resort is so large you can ski for days without repeating a run, and the variety and thrill factor of the slopes are superb. Add that to the gourmet cuisine, upscale shopping, live music and constant activities, and therein you have Vail's appeal. Since everything is practically walking distance, the resort maintains a cozy village-feel, tucked in a trio of mountains, while the rich night life and high-end shopping and dinning support a classy, yet trendy, atmosphere.
Vail is known for its variety of trails for every skill level. The main mountain, with a summit elevation of 11,570 feet, includes four terrain parks, seven back bowls and 2,289 acres of free-ride terrain. There are three distinct mountains - a front face with long and smooth cruisers, a huge back-bowl spread across six miles for the adventurer, and Blue Sky Basin providing access to backcountry trails. Blue Sky Basin has two world-famous back bowls, offering advanced and intermediate terrain that will give skiers and riders a backwoods-type experience and a ride of their lives. The challenging glades and steeps of Blue Sky Basin will be particularly thrilling for snowboarders, who have three terrain parks total in Vail. There are countless tabletops, rails and log rails spread across Vail's four parks, perfect for the advanced snowboarder looking for a challenge. For those riders slightly intimidated, Mule Skinner Terrain Park has some less advanced features.
35 lifts including 10 surface lifts, 24 chair lifts and 1 gondola.
$$$ (Expensive)193 runs - 28% beginner, 32% intermediate, 40% expert. Longest run is 21,120 feet.
16 km of Cross Country trails.
Mountain Statistics: 3,450 feet vertical drop, 11,570 feet summit elevation, 5,289 acres, average annual accumulation 346 inches.