Welcome to Vail
4 March 2026 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
expedition_retirementWe had never skied at Vail before, which was part of the reason we booked such a lengthy stay in Avon. We knew we could easily take a bus to Vail to ski, and we figured that having 2+ weeks would give us ample opportunity to explore both Beaver Creek and Vail. We ended up starting at Vail on our first day in Avon because we had heard that the snow conditions were better there. Ultimately, we found we agreed with that assessment, but it also helped that Vail is *huge*...easily the biggest ski area we've ever visited. Even with enormous sections of it closed for lack of snow, there was still plenty of terrain available to ski on. While the conditions did deteriorate day-by-day through the first part of our visit, the snow at the highest elevations remained okay to ski on. And we did eventually get new snow which helped conditions improve greatly.
It took me several days to learn my way around the mountain, but we ended up skiing ten days here, and by the end, I could navigate well enough. After we started getting new snow, I wanted to continue my demo ski rentals to figure out what new skis to buy. However, we encountered a wrinkle when my ski boots proved to be too worn out to clip into the rental bindings. Ultimately, we found a shop that demoed both boots and skis, and I spent one day trying different boots, until I found a pair I absolutely *loved*. Once I settled on new boots, I then tried different skis, and ultimately found a pair of skis I liked.
After purchasing new boots and skis (and leaving my old skis and boots behind for disposal), we skied one final day at Vail before we finished our stay here with a day at Beaver Creek.
Unfortunately, we did not get to experience the legendary magic of Vail's back bowls, which were not open while we were there. Looking at the terrain, I think I can see the attraction when there is good snow, but I guess we will just have to come back someday to find out for ourselves if the hype is merited.
It took me several days to learn my way around the mountain, but we ended up skiing ten days here, and by the end, I could navigate well enough. After we started getting new snow, I wanted to continue my demo ski rentals to figure out what new skis to buy. However, we encountered a wrinkle when my ski boots proved to be too worn out to clip into the rental bindings. Ultimately, we found a shop that demoed both boots and skis, and I spent one day trying different boots, until I found a pair I absolutely *loved*. Once I settled on new boots, I then tried different skis, and ultimately found a pair of skis I liked.
After purchasing new boots and skis (and leaving my old skis and boots behind for disposal), we skied one final day at Vail before we finished our stay here with a day at Beaver Creek.
Unfortunately, we did not get to experience the legendary magic of Vail's back bowls, which were not open while we were there. Looking at the terrain, I think I can see the attraction when there is good snow, but I guess we will just have to come back someday to find out for ourselves if the hype is merited.