Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shopping
D3
26
Kemo Sabe
C3
Sights
Colorado Ski Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.skimuseum.net
; 3rd fl, Vail Village parking lot exit; 10am-5pm; )
Humble but informat-
ive, this museum takes you from the invention of skiing to the trials of the Tenth Moun-
tain Division, a decorated WWII alpine unit that trained in these mountains. There are
also hilarious fashions from the past, as well as the fledgling Colorado Ski and Snowboard
Hall of Fame.
VAIL SKI TIPS
True, with 5289 acres of ski terrain available it's tough to play favorites, but here are a few things to keep in mind
as you explore the mountain. Beginners should stick to the groomed front side. The
Gopher Hill Lift
(#12) and
Little Eagle Lift
(#15) areas are best for first-timers. Other good green runs include Lost Boy in
Game Creek
Bowl
and the Tin Pants and Sourdough in the
Sourdough Express Lift
(#14) area. Kids will dig the various ad-
venture zones, which include banked turns and tunnels, so make sure to seek these out to break up the monotony
of bunny hill-style runs.
Some good intermediate runs are Expresso, Cappuccino and Christmas in the
Mountaintop Express Lift
(#4)
area. Northwoods, in the
Northwoods Express Lift
(#11) area, Avanti, Lodgepole and Columbine in the
Avanti
Express Lift
(#2) area and Dealer's Choice in Game Creek Bowl are also great. Intermediate skiers also love
Blue Sky Basin
(behind the back bowls), with runs such as Big Rock Park, Grand Review and the Star. Free
tours of Blue Sky Basin meet daily at Henry's Hut at 11am, across from Patrol HQ.
Advanced skiers flock to
Prima Cornice
and
Riva Ridge
at 4 miles long on the front side. The backside is
where the action is, though, with its seven
legendary bowls
: Sun Down, Sun Up, China, Siberia, Teacup and In-
ner and Outer Mongolia. The wide-open, spruce-dotted slopes here include favorites like Over Yonder (Sun Up),
Forever (Sun Down) and Bolshoi Ballroom (Siberia). Lover's Leap in Blue Sky Basin is another home run. The
options are seemingly infinite and you can ski a week here without ever covering your tracks. Trickster snow-
boarders can find three terrain parks on the front side, plus a halfpipe at the bottom of the Riva Bahn.
In case of emergency, make sure you have the
ski patrol number
(
970-754-1111) entered in your phone.
Activities
