The Skiers' Guide to Vail

In recent decades, Vail Resorts has become a ski industry behemoth. The company owns over 40 ski resorts on three different continents. This expansion owes itself primarily to the success of Vail itself, a ski area in Colorado’s central Rockies. Like the company that runs it, Vail is massive. With around 5,300 acres of skiable terrain, it is easily one of the largest resorts in North America. That terrain includes slopes for all types of skiers, from ample groomers to the wide open Back Bowls and huge swathes of trees where powder hounds can go sniffing for treasure. And treasure isn’t too hard to come by; Vail gets an average of around 250 inches of fresh snow a year. Epic terrain aside, Vail is famous for its luxurious amenities. Some skiers look down on the resort for this reason, but no one can raise any serious objection to Vail’s incredible terrain.

Vail is suitable for people of all experience levels, but intermediate and advanced skiers will certainly get the most out of it. To get that out of the way first, Vail does have slopes for first-timers and beginners, but most of these are, well, a bit out of the way. Given the cost of skiing at Vail (it’s quite high), it’s hard to recommend for newbies — unless of course they’re mostly drawn to the other Vail, the luxury shops and world-class restaurants.

For everyone else, Vail has just about everything. The resort loves to highlight what it calls ‘the Legendary Back Bowls’. And with good reason. These predominantly south-facing slopes were mostly cleared of trees after a fire that raged decades before the ski area was established. As such, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of lines down every run. Almost entirely made up of advanced terrain, many expert skiers will spend their entire day making lines across the seven bowls that make up the area which locals simply call ‘the Back’. China Bowl is favored by many, but the Sun Up and Sun Down bowls are excellent as well (and don’t tell anyone but Tea Cup Bowl is a hidden gem, just be prepared for a bit of a catwalk at the end of your runs).

But to get to the Back, you have to start from somewhere. That would be Vail’s Front Side. Though the bowls have an outsized footprint in Vail’s marketing materials, the Front Side should not be mistaken as merely a stepping stone on your way to the Back. It is, after all, bigger than most other ski resorts. All of Vail’s beginner terrain is found on this range of mostly north-facing slopes, but so are advanced areas like the runs served by the Highline chair. If you like to crush steep moguls, it’s the best skiing Vail has to offer. Also of note is Game Creek, the only place on the Front Side that gets called a bowl. With a very fast chairlift and a good mix of intermediate and advanced runs, it can make for some very efficient and rewarding skiing — when the crowds are light, anyway. And every skier needs to tackle Riva Ridge, a four-mile run that goes from the very top all the way to the base.

Finally, there’s Blue Sky Basin, my personal favorite part of Vail. Blue Sky abuts the Back, so you need to ride up to the top of the Front, ski down to the base of Tea Cup or China Bowl, and ride up again to access the terrain. The sojourn is well worth it. Like the Back, Blue Sky has no beginner terrain. Unlike the Back, it is heavily wooded. Even days after a fresh snow, it isn’t hard to find clean lines in the trees. Blue Sky is also home to lots of great cliff features and Vail’s largest cornice, the aptly named Lovers Leap.

Vail’s strength is definitely its huge size and diversity of terrain. But obviously it’s not without weaknesses. One notable deficiency is a relative lack of steep terrain. There are certainly bits of mountain with high grades, but they never go on for too long. Other skiers complain about an overabundance of catwalks. While it’s certainly true that you’ll spend some time on roads at Vail, those who know the mountain well can learn how to avoid them. The resort isn’t a great choice for anyone who loves terrain parks either. Vail usually erects, but both have fairly small features.

Vail’s biggest problem (and I don’t think you’ll find many who would disagree) is its crowds. A curse of its popularity, unfortunately. Huge though it is, Vail can nevertheless feel crowded at times. Like with the catwalks, there are ways to avoid the anthill even on a busy day. But, as anywhere, the best solution is to time your trip around major holidays and weekends whenever possible.

When the time comes to fill your stomach, Vail has many options — and some don’t even require you to empty your wallet! On-mountain dining is always an option, but frankly, the quality has taken a dive in the past decade or so. There are two food court-style dining areas on the Front Side and a posher option in the form of The 10th, a full-service restaurant. The Back has Two Elk, which has great views and alpine architecture but lackluster food. The best options are the smaller huts, namely Wildwood, which is focused on smoked meats. If you want a full meal on the mountain and a drink to go with it, expect to spend at least $30. You’ll leave full but probably not impressed.

Off the mountain, things are a lot better. Starting on the cheaper side, the local favorite is La Cantina. It’s located next to the bus station inside the Vail Village parking structure. You can get a filling and tasty meal for as low as $10. If you’re looking to eat in the middle of your ski day, Los Amigos is located at the base of the mountain. It’s more expensive but the quality is similar enough. For pre-ski fuel, Lionshead’s recently expanded Little Diner has great breakfast food and reasonable prices.

As for fine dining, there’s too much to cover here. Upscale contemporary cuisine can be found at Mountain Standard (the bone marrow carpaccio is a must-try dish), Sweet Basil, and La Tour, just to name a few. Matsuhisa is even more expensive than all of the above, but it’s a great treat if you’re in the mood for Japanese food.

When it comes to nightlife, Vail leans heavily toward après ski drinks rather than serious late-night debauchery. The town has dozens of bars to choose from, many just a short walk from the base. The aforementioned La Cantina has great margaritas as well as food and its location right next to the bus stop makes it a popular stop on the way home. Bart & Yeti’s has had enough local support to stay open and independently owned for decades, which really says something. Garfinkle’s has a similar story but is far larger and more suited to a younger and louder crowd. And though it’s 10 minutes down the road by car, the Minturn Saloon sees plenty of skier traffic (including some who take the backcountry route all the way from the ski area).

If you’re looking for something more boisterous that’s open later, the best options are all in Vail Village. Shakedown frequently has live music and is open late. The George doesn’t feature music as prominently but its immense popularity with local workers means the atmosphere remains festive late into the night.

Vail is absolutely a family-friendly resort. It has two excellent ski schools, plenty of groomed terrain, and several on-mountain features geared toward children. My only caveat is that Vail’s beginner areas are not super accessible. There’s a bunny hill at Golden Peak and another at the top of the Eagle Bahn gondola, but these are only really suitable for first-timers (or at least first-weekers). If you have kids with a bit more experience, it can be hard to get them to the ideal areas. You’ll need to deal with roads and do some serious navigating. Obviously ski school instructors handle this well, but if your plan is to just go up with your kids, the mountain isn’t very intuitive. Some research is absolutely required.

Vail for Non-skiers

Vail is a resort town, not just a ski area. But whether your non-skier friends and family will enjoy the trip really depends on their interests. If shopping and walking down beautiful streets is one of those, Vail can certainly tick a few boxes. There are also two skating rinks (one indoor, the other in a square), limited mountain access for non-skiers, and an on-mountain activity center with tubing and other games (though this has opened very inconsistently since the COVID-19 pandemic began).

Vail is expensive. As it is with lift tickets, so too with hotel rooms. If you want to stay in Vail itself, there are several hotels within walking distance of the base. The Ritz Carlton is a good luxury option, as is the Hyatt, which has its own chairlift (out of the main base area but still open to the public).

If you’re looking to spend as little as possible, consider staying in Avon. You can find cheaper options here and it’s only 15 minutes away from Vail by car or bus. As an added bonus, Avon abuts the Beaver Creek ski area, which is well worth trying. Similarly, prices are lower in Silverthorne-Dillon and Frisco. Your commute will be longer (at least 30 minutes in total) and there isn’t an easy bus route, but staying in either of these towns will put you a lot closer to Breckenridge and Keystone, making them a great base if you’re planning to check out multiple resorts.

Vail Resorts makes a big deal of its commitment to sustainability. The company claims to operate under an “Epic promise” to “do good”. And, so far as I can tell, it isn’t all just talk. Years ago, Vail’s management pledged to produce zero landfill waste by 2030. A part of the focus on waste stems from the fact that a significant portion of the resort and town of Vail’s CO2 footprint comes from contributions to landfills. As of 2024, Vail has made serious progress in reducing waste.

More recently, Vail has pledged to have zero net emissions by 2030. This far more ambitious goal is supposed to be attained by reducing waste as well as measures taken to offset the resort’s carbon emissions. According to corporate documents and other reports, the company is making good progress toward this end.

Nevertheless, it is far from clear whether this will be achieved. Many locals and activists have criticized the focus on diversions (offsets) rather than reductions. Others wonder how Vail can honor this pledge and a similar one to have zero impact on forestry while operating a resort and vastly expanding its snowmaking capacity.

Pros

• Massive resort with all kinds of terrain
• High volume of high-quality snow by regional standards
• Top-notch facilities, shops, restaurants, and hotels
• Easy access to Denver, plus two local airports and several nearby resorts
• Free local transportation and inexpensive regional transportation
• Affordable season pass valid at dozens of ski resorts

Cons

• Very expensive for non-passholders
• Quite crowded during various peak weeks
• Mountain can be unintuitive to navigate for the uninitiated