Vail Mountain "Insider"

A quick and informal guide to Vail Mountain and village for the first time visitor - or anyone else who needs some local perspective on the resort.

Jump directly to any of the following topics related to the resort operation: parking, the lift system, where to ski based on your skill level, food services, ski instruction, ski shops, boot fitters, good deals, and everything else (including orthopedics), or just read this from the top.

Parking: As with many other things in Vail, the early bird gets the worm.  This town has two large, excellently located public parking facilities.  Unfortunately they're not free.  But, if you want to be close to either the Village or Lionshead lifts and/or not waste time driving around endlessly, the structures are your best choice.  There's also less limited number of spaces (paid) at Ford Park, Donovan Park, and the soccer field.

A few days each year the structures do fill up and parking then becomes available for free on the frontage roads.  Just don't count on it!

Based on one's willingness to park in outlying areas or accept the wait for a public bus (free), here's a table of the currently available no charge parking areas in town.

Obviously if the skier is staying overnight at any of the lodges or condominium projects in town, parking is provided for guests.

A word of caution.  Don't attempt parking in a lot that is marked private and signed for owners or guests only.  Parking tickets, towing tickets, and boot removal fees are all costly penalties which are immediately applied to those who violate the rule.

Lift Access: 

Early risers benefit again.  The following comments relate to the busiest seasons.  Unless a powder day is in progress, any of the portal lift areas - Gold Peak, Vista Bahn, Lionshead, or the Cascade (used to be the Westin Hotel) will have minimal lift lines at the opening bell.  During peak periods get up the hill via the Gold Peak Riva Bahn, followed by the Lionshead Gondola/Born Free Express, and lastly the Vista Bahn in the village which is always the most crowded.

When possible, try to avoid all of the base lifts between 10-10:30 in the morning.  That's when ski school classes head up the hill.  If you get to Vail during that time period, either expect to wait in longer lines or go have a cup of coffee first.

During the day it's possible to move around the mountain and almost completely avoid waiting in lines.  First, be willing to split up your party & use the singles lines at any lift.  Secondly, when approaching a lift you may wish to use, look at the loading line on each side of the terminal before committing to one side or the other.   Generally one side will be a significantly shorter wait.

Watch the lift sign boards.  The colored lights will indicate short versus long waits.   If your chosen lift is too crowded, ski by it and catch a lift further down the mountain.  Keep skiing when at all possible - even if it means using a cat track to move across the area.

Notes about certain chair lifts:

Chair #4 - Mountain Top Express is recognized as being literally the busiest lift in the world.   Avoid it when you can possibly do so.  Early mornings, during the lunch hour, and sometimes between 1:30-2:30 in the afternoon are generally the least crowded periods.

Chair #7 - Game Creek can be a death trap for the unwary.  There's no way out if you get to the bottom and both lift mazes are full.  Check the sign board before heading into Game Creek and physically look at the lift lines from the entries to that bowl before heading down.

Chair #5 - Back Bowls Lift gets impossibly crowded on powder days.  Ski it very early in the morning.  When the masses arrive, head up Chair #17 to the ridge above China Bowl.   From there you can cycle #17 until it gets too crowded, and then head out to Blue Sky Basin or to the China Bowl lift.  The object on powder days is to ski Sun Up & Sun Down bowls early - then keep moving further & further East to stay ahead of the traffic.

Chair #1 - (This lift no longer exists.  It has been demolished to make way for the "Front Door to Vail" construction project.  The 2006/07 season will be the first winter without the village having this old chair to reduce congestion on the Vista Bahn.  On busy weekends it will make sense to use another portal to access the mountain.)

Chair #26 - Pride Lift is probably the least utilized - or populated - lift on the hill.   Admittedly it only serves cruiser runs, but if you want maximum time on the snow and minimal time in the lines, this is the one to choose.

Chair #3 - Hunky Dory is generally a preferred alternative to the Mountain Top Express if you have to remain in the cirque above Mid Vail.  It's about a five minute ride and offers some nice bump skiing in addition to the gentle cruiser runs.

Exiting Blue Sky Basin:  This is a late season 2000/2001 note regarding egress from this new part of Vail Mountain.  Because of the popularity of the Blue Sky experience, persons leaving that bowl later in the afternoon tend to exit by the China Bowl lift or Teacup Bowl Express lift and then head down Flapjack to the Northwoods Express lift in an effort to get back to the top of the mountain.  Chair #11 (Northwoods Express) has thus become extremely crowded in the afternoons between 2-4:00. 

For strong intermediate skiers & above, the suggested exit route is to head up the Teacup Express and then ski down Yonder into Sun Up Bowl.  Then use Chair #5 to head up to the top of the mountain and avoid the lines that plague Northwoods that time of day.

Best Lifts and Runs For Different Ability Levels:

Never Evers:  Take a lesson.  If you won't, then ride up the Gondola and hang out on Chair #15 at the top of Adventure Ridge.  It's flat terrain & easy skiing & the restaurant is nicely accessible when you get tired.  The only other option is Chair #12 at Gold Peak, but it's steeper, icier, and always jammed with people.

Low Intermediates:  Vail is not a great low intermediate skier mountain.  If you're in this category, see comment on lesson taking above and then graduate to Chair #9.  If that works OK, you might go to Game Creek and find Chair #7 to be a decent place to hone your skills while staying well away from the big crowds.  Try Lost Boy.  Then go to Hunky Dory or the Meadows above Mid Vail.  Remember that you can download to the base areas if you're really bushed and don't want to fight the crowds getting off the hill at the end of the day.

Intermediates:  Vail is a great intermediate's mountain.  Read the grooming report every day and stick to those runs at first.  If you have safety concerns, see what run is being manned by the "Yellow Jacket" speeder patrol & stay there for a while.  After that the mountain's your oyster.  Black runs or even double blacks that have been groomed are ideal for intermediates.  Just try to be careful to be consistent in the way you make turns so as to not present yourself as an unwelcome target for faster - not necessarily - better skiers.

Experts & Up:  Go anywhere.  If powder is in season, follow the path around the bowls noted in reference to Chair #5 above.  Chair #10 - the Highline Lift has been upgraded to a new high speed detachable effective for the 2007/08 ski season.  Only seven minutes compared to 16-18 minutes in prior years.  Should you have the itch to see how many times you can cycle Highline (the run) in a day, you should be able to nonstop an average of five runs per hour!  If you want to look at some of our other favorite steeper places, click here to get a description.

Ski Shops:  The closer to lifts generally speaking the pricier the shop.  In Lionshead Double Diamond (previously Kenny's, but was sold) is widely regarded as perhaps the best shop in all of Vail.  Performance Sports has been around for a long time, and the Boot Lab is now renting a full selection of demo Atomic skis.

In Vail Village the old standby's are Pepi's, Gorsuch, Christy Sports, Vail Sports, and the Mountain Adventure Center (most expensive place to rent in Vail).  For a less costly rental try the American Ski Exchange or Buzz's Boots & Boards.  To buy hard or soft goods shop around & ask for a deal.  You'll probably get one if you're persistent.

Boot Fitters:  In Lionshead both Double Diamond and The Boot Lab are highly recommended places to get rid of the pain in your feet.

Vail Village also has a pair of outstanding fitting operations.  The Sure Foot shop in the Golden Peak building is at the base of the Vista Bahn lift.  Gorsuch offers the exceptionally comfortable Strolz foam boots.

Restaurant Ideas:

If you plan to eat on the mountain - eat early.  Eat before 11:30 if possible.   You'll avoid crowds, and you'll get your choice of tables.  At all the mountain eateries the soup prices will be unbeatable and are always at least a decent value.  If you don't have to eat on the mountain, the restaurants in the village or Lionshead will absolutely provide more comfortable and higher quality experiences.   But here's the story on mountain dining.

Mid-Vail: The primary & busiest mountain restaurant.  Two levels of general cafeteria style eating and a lower level for kids ski school classes only.  This place gets really crowded at the noon hour - and even more so on cold days.  Eat early.  The food's not bad.  Burgers are decent & the French fries are terrific.  There's a good pasta bar & the best deal of all is a soup & sandwich special.  It's under $?.00 - who knows what this season & is more food than you'll probably be able to eat by yourself.  You get a choice of various sandwich fillings, small cup of soup, and a soft drink, and that makes this the best lunch value on the mountain.

Our favorite food at Mid Vail is the Panini offered at the Terrace Level.  The turkey/pesto remains our choice.  Good sized, it can be split between two people and comes with a basket of chips and all the pickles and peppers you can handle.

Where you pick up napkins, there's a wide variety of condiments in little packages.  One of my favorite lunches is just a quick tub of fries (small $) dipped in a variety of concocted sauces picked up from the condiments bins.   You get the picture. 

Should you pack your own lunch, there's a publicly available microwave oven.  Pass on the soft drinks.  Way over-priced.  The fountain water's free, and it's high quality - coming directly from a local spring.

If the upper "Look Ma" level is too crowded, try the Terrace Level, and in the spring or in good weather, there's a decent outdoor barbecue called "Sarge's" after our original mountain manager - Sarge Brown.  When seating elsewhere is unavailable, the short walk to Sarge's will reward you.

Wildwood:  Probably our favorite mountain restaurant.  Lots of smoked foods.   Really good combo platter lunches with brats, hot dogs, cole slaw, good baked beans.  It's a small place at the top of the Hunky Dory lift, but the views of the bowls are great and so is the food.

If the main restaurant here is slammed, walk a few steps over to the Pavilion.  Slightly fewer food options but generally less crowded.

Two Elk:  A really beautifully rebuilt (after the fire) mountain lodge.   Seating has been expanded, but this place gets way crowded.  The food can be quite good and also very expensive.  The red beans & rice platter - or the wraps - are probably the most filling decent values.  I like the custom pizzas.  The burgers & fries are fine too.  Always avoid the soft drinks from a value standpoint.  Get here early to beat the crowd - and find a place to sit inside.

Adventure Ridge:  In all honesty I'm not overwhelmed with this operation.   There are plenty of places to eat, but none really stand out.  If you want a sit down restaurant experience, you can go to the Blue Moon Cafe on the entry level.  In past years there was a small bistro called Vintners located on the top level - it's no longer open.  There's also a cafeteria upstairs similar to that at Mid Vail.  Try the stuffed bakers.

Other:  The ski company has apparently given up on anything but typical generic mountain lunch stuff.  The Wok & Roll near the loading area of the Northwoods Express was back in 2003/04 and is NOT back again this year.  It wasn't the same great menu as when it was located at the bottom of the China Bowl lift but still was a nice change from the other every day fare on the mountain.  New for the 2006/07 season is a similar Wok & Roll temporary food kiosk just downstream from the Pete's Bowl loading terminal in that same named bowl.  How long it remains there is anyone's guess. (So far in 2008/09 we've not seen it opened.)

In Town:  Most skiers prefer to lunch on the mountain despite the high prices & limited offerings, but with the advent of high speed lifts, your restaurant choices at the base are pretty much unlimited.  For some lunch place suggestions in the village and Lionshead, click here.  A great deal on every Tuesday is to head to the Tap Room at the top of Bridge Street.  $5.00 buys a half pound burger with fries and your choice of beer or other beverage. 

Ski School: 

I'm an instructor, so expect a bias.  If you can't afford the $600+ a day charge for private lessons, here is another suggestion.  

For more experienced skiers I've always felt the half day workshops (now called classes) that start after lunch at Mid Vail or Two Elk (maybe at the top of the gondola too) are by far the best value in town.  You get high quality instructors taking out very small groups (1-5 persons), so it's more or less a semiprivate lesson.

Other Good Deals:

There's a free two and a half hour mountain welcome tour originating either at the base of the Gondola in Lionshead or at the Vista Bahn in Vail Village.  Be there by 9:30 at the latest to get a guided tour of the mountain.  Try this on your first day if you've never skied Vail before.  You also get to cut lift lines with the group.

If you're in the Mid Vail area at 11:00, take advantage of "Ski Tips".   It's a one hour program led by an instructor.  You'll ski a run or two with him/her and get some advice on your skiing along with some suggestions about your ability level and what type of lesson might benefit you.

Every Ski Patrol office has a large tub of sun screen available for free use by the public.  So if you run out of protection, just stop by one of those facilities & save yourself some money by taking advantage of the freebie.

After 2 P.M. foot traffic is free to use the Gondola in Lionshead without charge.  Visit Adventure Ridge this way and enjoy a variety of activities (tubing, snowmobiling, ice skating, etc.).

Miscellaneous Information and Other Things To Do:

Every base lift area in the morning is staffed by guest service volunteers in red jackets.  They offer free grooming reports.  Pick one up and keep it with you on the mountain all day.  These people are invaluable resources for local knowledge.   Ask them questions.  They'll help you.

On the mountain, if you want a break from skiing, visit the Forest Service Discovery Center in the yurt next to the Gondola terminal at the top of Lionshead.  In town take a stroll through the history of skiing in Colorado at the Ski Museum located in the village parking structure.

Snow Cat Skiing:  The local operation is currently called Vail Snow Cat/Backcountry Skiing.  They can be reached at 970-476-7677.  Cost during the 2002/03 season is $??? per person per day (2003/04 season).

Orthopedic Assistance.  In the unlikely event you develop joint or bone breakage problems while enjoying your stay here, you have a choice of being repaired by one of two world class operations based here in Vail.  The Steadman-Hawkins Clinic is best known and might be the firm of choice - as long as you are recognized as being a world class athlete.  Should the world not be familiar with your name, be prepared for a long wait to be serviced.

If you're just a normal human being, the reality is that you'll get better care and far prompter service at Vail Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine.  All of the physicians in both firms have similar core competencies.  Since the writer of this article has had experience dealing with both clinics, my recommendation would be to contact Dr. John Gottlieb or Dr. Lonnie Chipman at Vail Orthopaedics (970-476-7220).

Beaver Creek.  If you drive to that area, parking is free at the base lots. (Note.  Free parking at the base will end with the 2008/09 season.)  Use the West Lot or the newest upper day skier lot serviced by the new access lifts.  You'll understand the logic of this at the end of the day.  Better yet, drive to Arrowhead and use their free day skier lot with shuttle service to the lift.  Just be careful at the end of the day to be certain you get back to Arrowhead before the lift system between there and Beaver Creek shuts down.  If you don't want to drive to Beaver Creek from Vail, there's a $5 each way (2004/05 season) shuttle service from the Vail Transportation Center directly to the Centennial Lift.   Be patient on the ride.  There are lots of stops along the way.

If you simply want a break from skiing and this resort altogether, do the drive to Glenwood Springs through the spectacular canyon of that name and cook your bones in the world famous hot springs pool.  Or, try a few runs at what we feel is a truly nice small ski area - Sunlight Mountain.  Afterwards, if you're so inclined, you can take another hour & drive to the Aspen area to see how some other beautiful people live - but please come back to Vail when you're finished there.

Orv Petersen
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