Westbound Boarder

During my many years of shredding, I have followed countless traditions here on Mt. Hood, and even made up my own along the way … Silent Rock, Shell gas station stop in Sandy, Mtn Moka, and Harley (more to come on these at a later date!) are a few of my personal faves. So during my visit to Breckenridge, I learned about a valuable tradition with a beaded necklace (mardi-gras style) I aquired locally. Here’s how it goes: Throwing beads into trees from the chair lift, or other offerings like your bra, underware, googles, or whatever you choose, is a form of making a sacrifice to the “snow gods” for good luck, for additional snow fall for the winter and the set up for a stellar spring. An appropriate gesture of “giving back to the community” for some extra powder, in my opinion. Lose some to win some… SNOW is well worth it in my opinion!

It is some of these fun small details that make the entire culture and lifestyle of snowboarding unique. It also adds never-ending drive to explore the mountains and resorts of the world, fueling the fire of my passion for the sport.

Last week, Danielle, Rochelle and I all took an epic trip to Vail, our second annual snowboard trip to Colorado.  But this year, instead of spending the entire time riding Vail, we decided to try something new and shred at several different resorts.  Enter, Breckenridge.

Ever since last year’s Winter Dew Tour, I’ve been dying to ride at Breckenridge, CO.  Several of the biggest names in snowboarding call Breck their part-time home – Shaun White, Chanelle Sladics, JJ Thomas and Bobby Brown, just to name a few.  And the park and super pipe consistently top Transworld’s best list.  The combination of the high elevation, expansive free terrain and variety of terrain parks makes Breckenridge a top-notch resort in my book.  Oh, and parking was free for parties over four the day we went – love that they promote carpooling! (Normally, it’s $5 weekdays and $10 weekends, which is still pretty inexpensive in comparison to Vail).

This would be the medium park

When we arrived to Breckenridge, we thought we might as well start out the day right with a run through the park.  Looking at the trail map, we noticed there were three different types of parks – small, medium, and large.  We decided to settle for the in between and hit the medium park (also because it was the most convenient from where we started out, Peak 7).  Well, apparently the folks at Breckenridge do not quite go by the standard definition of “medium” we had envisioned … Compared to what we’re used to riding at Hood and High/Bear, this “medium” park was HUGE!  After staring awe struck for a moment at the top, glancing down at the tables below, we decided to bypass the park (this time around) and sit on the side, watching some of the local riders pass through.  Well, nearly thirty minutes later, our jaws were open just as wide as they were when we first sat down.  We had never seen so many amazing free skiiers and snowboarders all in the same place!  We sat and watched 720 after 720 whiz by, and then quickly came to the conclusion that everyone who rides at Breck is pro … or all pros ride at Breck.  Either way, it was really cool just watching all the talent built up at the mountain throughout the day.

Come on dude, really?!

After watching the pros in the park, we rode through the pipe for a while (not the smoothest pipe I’ve ever  been in, but I definitely blame it on the conditions – it hadn’t snowed in days – and not the resort itself).  The 18 foot walls were super fun, and the pipe was nicely cut.  One of the things I really liked about Breck was their “progressive” park system.  Their parks are set up in steps, or difficulty levels, so riders can start from the small parks when they’re first learning to jump and work their way up.  There are three small terrain parks and one small pipe, one medium park, and one large park and super pipe.  So riders who start  riding at Breck can go through the park system and take it up a step when they’re ready.  And since I am a person who grew up learning to ride a baby park, then immediately transitioning to a large, comp-style park, I can definitely appreciate this style of “at-your-own-pace” learning.  Also, Breckenridge has a really neat Web site called Breck 1080, where you can actually preview the features, meet the team riders, and watch videos before you head up to the slopes.  But park riding definitely isn’t all there is to Breck, unlike some jib-heavy resorts.  There’s tons of free terrain to ride as well, and several bowls and fun tree runs, really making Breckenridge a well-rounded resort.

Lunch!

Now, Breckenridge boasts a lift with the highest elevation in North America.  It’s called the Imperial Express Super Chair (at the top of Peak Eight) and it sits at a record elevation of 12,840 feet.  To put that in perspective, the highest point reached by a chair lift at Mt. Hood Meadows is 7,300 feet, and the top of Palmer at Timberline, one of the few resorts open for skiing year-round, is 8550 feet.  That’s kind of a big difference.  Even though the dismal Colorado snowfall (or lack thereof) during our stay made for some pretty icy runs near the peak, we finally decided that we couldn’t not take at least one run down.  So after lunch, we headed up the 6 Chair to make it over to Imperial before it closed for the day.  We had to rush because the lift stops operating at 3:15.  We made it over to Imperial by 3:02, but of course with our luck the lift had just closed at 3pm, early due to conditions.  Bummer.  But then again, we now have an excuse to go back to Breck next year!  Insider Tip: If you get a chance to make it to Breckenridge, especially on a powder day, I’d recommend starting out your day on the Imperial Lift before the bowls get chopped out.  And before the lift closes.

After our journey to find the top (which we didn’t) we made our way over to Peaks 9 and 10, the final side of the hill we had yet to experience.  And we finally found the small terrain parks!  The small parks were a lot of fun to ride.  We particularly liked Eldorado, because the jumps had a lot of pop and a nice, solid landing.  The perfect way to end our day.

The lifts at Breckenridge are open 8:30am to 4:30pm, with the gondola operating 8am to 5pm, but one of the cool things about Breck is that if you think that 8 hours on the hill isn’t enough (???) then you can head straight to Keystone, which is one of the only resorts in the area open for night skiing (your ticket is good for both resorts).

Overall, I really enjoyed riding at Breck, and I think it is one of my favorite places I’ve ridden at so far due to the vast versatility of park and free-ski options.  I was really surprised at how big Breckenridge is.  Though it’s only half the size of Vail, it really didn’t seem like it, and we definitely didn’t cover as much ground as we would have liked to in just one day.  We had also heard that Breck was a lot less steep than Vail (our skiier friend, Kevin, said Breck isn’t his favorite for this reason), which is true to some extent, but there are definitely a fair share of steep runs as well, especially if you hit the back bowls above peaks 8 and 7.  Personally, I’m not a huge fan of super steep runs because I like straight-lining it the whole way down, so I thought Breck was perfect, especially since there wasn’t much powder or fresh snow when we rode.  Insider Tip: If you head out to the Vail area during icy conditions and are able to add some flexibility to your resort riding plan, I’d recommend riding Breck over Vail or any of the other resorts, namely because there are more options to ride less iced-out runs than the other nearby resorts.

Also, if you can swing it, I’d recommend staying in Breck for a night or two, at the very least.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity this year, as we had prior arrangements in Eagle-Vail, but the town of Breckenridge is so adorable, I wish we could have stayed and checked out the nightlife!  Unlike Vail, which is a bit more family-oriented, IMHO, Breck tends to attract a younger crowd, likely due to its stellar reputation within the snowboard community and younger audiences.

Perfect blue bird day!

Now, I had always thought that Breckenridge (or any Colorado resort, for that matter) was purely a winter resort with not much to do in the summer other than dream of the first snowfall of the following year.  However, in talking with a few Breckenridge locals, I learned that this is not the case.  Not at all.  Breckenridge boasts more than 100 miles of bike trails (yes, I say “more than” because they stopped counting after they reached 100), the Peak 8 Fun Park, which features everything from Alpine slides to Colorado’s largest human maze.  Also, we hear the vibe is a lot more chill and laid-back in the summer, so this might be a good option for a relaxing, laid-back summer vaca.  Like the saying goes, “Perfect Mountain, Perfect Mountain Town.”  I’ll add “year round” to that one.

After an amazing six days in Vail, CO (hence the six days sans blog updates), we’re finally back home   We were able to squeeze in four days of riding, though, and tried two brand new resorts – Beaver Creek and Breckenridge.  Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks, because we can’t wait to share all!

Very interesting interview (click on the link to watch) with Rob Katz, CEO of Vail Resorts, in AdAge this week highlighting his take on the future of the ad industry and why Vail Resorts has turned to social media to find the answer. I find it especially interesting that Vail Resorts chose to reduce this year’s print budget by 80% — 80%!! – due to print lead times (which are often more than 4 months out) no longer fitting with their business model. Katz points out that consumers are no longer planning their vacations 4 – 6 months in advance; they are instead planning spur-of-the-moment trips as close to one week prior their departure. Vail has changed their ad model to reflect this new sentiment, now crafting marketing messages on a weekly basis. Smart strategy, and in my opinion, Vail is leading the charge in a new ad model that many other resorts will soon follow. I wonder if the magazine industry will follow suit?

What do you think – In what way do you see online and social media changing the way the action sports industry does business, particularily in terms of advertising?

As I mentioned early last week, I caught up with five people from the Vail Resorts crew during their stay in LA last Tuesday.  As a blogger located in sunny Southern California, I don’t often get the opportunity to attend or write about ski resorts in other parts of the US, so it was really nice to be able to meet the staff face-to-face and learn about what the 09/10 ski season will bring.  Wait a minute… “Ski season,” you ask?  “But it’s summer!” Well yes, this is true, but it is never too early to begin thinking about the winter ahead and planning out your trips for… next year.

Typically, each winter Danielle and I take one or two big ski trips a year, and last year we decided to forgo the usual Whistler/Blackcomb trip in favor of something a bit more local… Colorado (read our review here!)  We decided on Vail because our good buddy Kevin just got a job as a ski instructor there, and we thought that a trip to visit him was well in order.  Plus, what a great opportunity to visit a new hill!  Now, I’ve been to several different ski resorts across the country (and if you include Whistler, I can officially say “across the world” ) but Vail was a new one for me.  However, I’m so glad we did go.  The snow was amazing, the people were great, and the resort truly lived up to its “luxury” reputation.  However, Vail is only one mountain in the Vail Resorts family, and I’d highly encourage you to check out all five resorts when planning your next trip East.

To make your research a bit easier, I’ll briefly recap the five resorts in the Vail Resorts family below and highlight a couple of the features that makes each mountain unique from its brother.

Vail Mountain – “Like Nothing on Earth”

Seriously, read our review.  And our second.  And check out their Web site.  Need I say more?

Beaver Creek - “Not Exactly Roughing It”

While Vail is known for its luxury and class, Beaver Creek sways more on the intimate side.  It is a nice, quaint little resort tucked away from the rest of the land, so you truly feel like you’re getting a relaxing vacation.  With several restaurants, museums, shopping, and relaxing spas in three villages and two towns (Avon and Edwards), there is plenty to do; and the town is certainly family-friendly, too (SKI Magazine recently called it “consummate kid-friendly resort”).  But don’t forget about the riding – during the day, Beaver Creek boasts 149 trails, 17 chair lift, and several great terrain parks (4 parks and 1 pipe).

Breckenridge

Hosting events such as the Dew Tour, Breckenridge has slowly grown into its reputation of being the “cool,” more “hip” brother mountain in the Vail Resorts family.  Breckenridge is definitely more well-known as the Colorado snowboarder favorite, and with its five stellar parks and four pipes (all which can be seen on “Breck 1080” – the Resort’s interactive trail map), what’s not to like?  This resort also boasts the Breckenridge Freeride Team, which is a team of both pros and local up-in-coming riders; its nice to see a resort putting time and effort into the newbies of the sport.  So in sum, 155 trails, a good variety of parks, 76 bars, and 20,002 pillows (???), and a fun night life, Breck is the place to be.

Heavenly

If Breckenridge is the cool hip brother, then Heavenly is, well, the other cool, hip brother; maybe even the cooler, hipper brother… okay, wait… the cooler, hipper sister   Being the only resort in the Vail family to be located outside of Colorado, Heavenly is the perfect home hill for Nor-Cal residents, and a great “home away from home” for the people like me who are only about six hours away.  Now, there’s plenty to do on the mountain at Heavenly – the California sunshine combined with the 30 lifts, 95 trails and killer terrain parks certainly makes for one great day.  But when night falls… well, let’s just say you better not waste all your energy skiing   Heavenly has quite the reputation for being one of the best party mountains.  The resort even has Vegas-style casinos and an awesome music scene.  Oh, and of course more than 100 bars and night clubs.  Party on, Heavenly!

Keystone - “It’s All Here”

Their tagline says it all.  While most ski resorts claim to have it all, Keystone really does.  Though I haven’t heard too much about this resort and can’t personally speak to many of its differentiators, this resort has everything from dinner sleigh rides (!!!) to guided snowcat skiing and riding.  Oh, and they are the only resort in the Vail family to offer night skiing, which is awesome if your goal is to get as much riding in as possible.

So there you have it.  Five great resorts, one big family.  And in case you can’t decide which resort you’d like to go to (after all, they all sound great!) check out their Epic Pass promo going on so you can attend all five resorts for the price of one.

We all know Vail for the fabulous five ski/snowboard resorts we love, and tonight I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with some of the folks who work behind the scenes.  We’ve written about Vail Resorts several times in the past (including their Epic Pass deal, most recently – awesome deal, BTW; have you checked it out?) so I was super excited to meet the staff in person.  I’ll share some of the things we discussed later this week… but until then, it’s bed time for me so I can get my beauty rest for a long day at E3 tomorrow.  Night!

As I’m sure you’re all well aware, we here at Westbound Boarder love sweet deals, and we love them even more when they involve season passes!!  Vail Resorts (read our review here) is offering their 2nd annual ‘Epic Season Pass‘ deal through Sunday, April 12.  The pass costs $579 for adults and $279 for children, ages 5-12, for skiing and snowboarding at all five Vail Resorts – Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly – as well as at Arapahoe Basin.  While that price might seems a bit steep at first glance, season passes normally run well over a grand, and the Epic Pass grants you access to, not one, but six resorts!  (A day lift ticket to Vail runs nearly $90, for comparison, so six times up and it pays for itself).  

The people at Vail Resorts realize that these are tough times for everyone, so to help even further, they are giving guests the option to lock in these 2008-2009 prices with only a $49 down payment per pass with the remainder of the balance due in September, 2009.

This pass debuted last March and shocked the industry with how great the deal was.  They’ve never offered a pass that included all five of their resorts, so this is really an amazing deal.  Last year they sold 60,000.  While Vail is feeling the shock of the economy a little (sales this year were down around 5% from the same time last year) its great to hear that they can continue to offer these types of deals to the most diehard ski and snowboard fans.  Vail Resorts are truly amazing, so if you live in or near Colorado or NorCal, I’d highly recommend you check this out.  And don’t forget, last day’s Sunday so I suggest you get on it!

As I was sitting at my desk today, counting down the minutes until my weekend, I came across an old email I never opened.  An email that made my Friday and I am sure will make yours! The pictures speak for themselves; but nonetheless – here is the story…

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The bizarre event took place back in January when a male skier, 48, and his son loaded onto Vail’s Blue Sky Basin Lift. Unfortunately, the fold-down seat on the lift was not lowered all the way down, causing the man to fall through the resulting gap.

As you can see, the poor man, his pants, his skis and pride were instantly caught in an embarrassing tangle with the chair lift. As the nude man was hanging upside-down from the lift for nearly 10 minutes, with his young son (who is surely, scarred for life from this incident!) and now an entourage of entertained passerby’s watching, the lift began to reverse as the onlookers gathered ‘round to save the day.

The struggle continued as it took the innocent bystanders quite some time to, as The Smoking Gun puts it, ‘successfully dislodge the unidentified man.’

If this does not make your Friday afternoon after a long week, well, then you are your own!

Alright everyone, listen carefully. As our marvelous trip to Vail, CO (and yes, it really is like nothing on earth), has come to an end, I am here to tell you about the village hot spots and our personal favorites. So first things first, you go to Vail to snowboard, and as you already know from Andrea’s Vail Resort Review, this mountain is legit.  So I am going to tell you about where to eat, drink and even shop. You’re going to be tired after a long days riding so we recommend the following (before and after the hill) destinations…

Resturants: We ate at several different places during our trip to Vail, but a few places stood out among the rest, both for their food and drink and their class.

• The French Café: Start your day at the French Café. You can find this authentic gem in Lionshead Village where you’re bound to pick a breakfast that will keep you fueled through your lunch hour. With bona fide pastries such as hearty eggs, potatoes, meat and toast platters, you really can’t go wrong with any selection on their menu. Oh! An added bonus (for those of you who are bilingual), you can even order in French. Parlez-vous français?
• Garfinkels: After a long day on the hill you must ride straight down the Lionshead Village where you will find Garfinkel’s Restaurant and Bar. This cornerstone sits at the base of the Eagle Bahn Express Gondola and offers awesome food and drink specials nearly every day of the week. This is not just a regular restaurant though. Garfinkel’s offers a chill ski-town bar/grill atmosphere (the boys loved this place!), with a quite sizeable sunny deck where you can enjoy a frosty beverage while admiring at your latest triumph (the Rocky Mountains that is). As those who work at Garf’s put it, “seasons pass by, memories are created, good times are had, and lifelong friends are made. The walls inside tell the stories of the past with photos of patrons, athletes, and events gone by. You could be one of them.” Nothing short of a fantastic time is guaranteed when you choose Garf’s as your après ski destination; believe me.  Garfinkel’s is packed nearly every hour of the day, for a very good reason.
• Centre V: So Garf’s sounds a little too chill and laid-back for you? Or you just want to class up your Vail experience? Worry not. Leave the guys at Garf’s and make your way (about a 1 minute walk from Garf’s) over to Centre V. This place offers a killer happy hour (we recommend the Arabelle Martini or the Hot Butter Nut), and they even offer complementary pomme frites (French fries)! You can enjoy the beautiful atmosphere in their oh-so-comfortable spacious booths all the while listening to relaxing (but not too loud) live music. Centre V is absolutely 5 stars!

Nightlife: So now that you know where to fuel up before and after conquering the Rockies, it’s time to discover the night life in the Vail Village. After experiencing Vail Village with the locals, four nights in a row, Andrea and I narrowed down our night time destinations to our two favorites – The Club (not so much a ‘club’) and Whiskey Jack’s (previously known as ‘Ski Bar’).

• The Club: Don’t let the name ‘The Club’ deceive you. This place is the farthest thing from a ‘club.’ Come here for some hilarious post ski entertainment, enjoy live cover bands that comically harass the crowd, and prepare yourself for all kinds of rowdiness! Wear whatever your heart desires (as many are still in their ski gear), bring $5 for the cover on Saturday nights and hike on over to Bridge Street to find your self at The Club.
• Whiskey Jack’s: Another favorite of the trip was Whiskey Jack’s. With free beer for the locals on Thursdays (but who’s really asking if you’re local?), and themed nights five days a week, you’re bound to have a great time at this recently remodeled establishment. You will find snowboard memorabilia adorning each wall, 5 flat screen TV’s, a snow machine, an amature stripper pole, a pool table and even a chalkboard to write about your most recent powder sesh.

Enjoy these two late night local hot spots and don’t leave them without a shot of rumplemints (the bartender will know what you’re asking for – it’s a local favorite).  OH! And before you head home, a stop at Vendetta’s Pizza is a requirement!  But don’t let the seemingly long lines deter you; it’s worth it. Your delicious made to order (that’s right, you pick your toppings) late night pizza will save you from that AM hangover so you can yet again conquer the Rockies in the morning.

So hit these aforementioned hot spots and your trip to Vail will surely be a success. Have you already been to Vail before? Let us know what your favorite spots were by leaving us a comment so everyone can be prepared for their next trip to heaven on earth!  Still haven’t gotten enough of Vail? Stay tuned for our review on the largest hillside Burton Shop, centrally located in Vail’s Lionshead Village.

I love getting out and riding new terrain every now and again, so when Danielle asked me a couple of months ago if I wanted to take a trip to Vail, CO, I couldn’t say no! And after spending 5 days at this amazing resort, I can see why it boasts “like nothing on earth.”

But let’s start with tradition: Every year for the past several years now, a group of 10 to 15 of us have taken a trip to Whistler/Blackcomb, BC. Whistler is, of course, an awesome resort – one of the top in the world – but now that we’ve all graduated college and parted ways (ie, took off our party hats and traded them in for professional shoes – well, kinda ) we decided to try something new. Meanwhile, our buddy, Kevin, wasn’t quite ready to fully step into his professional shoes (who knows if he ever will be, come to think of it) and decided to move to Vail for the winter to teach ski lessons. So, free place to stay, good company, and a top US ski resort; how could we go anywhere but Vail this winter?

On to the trip: Dani, her husband, Lance, and I all arrived to the Denver airport Wednesday evening (Kevin was super awesome and offered to drive the two hours to come pick us up) – we did have to wait around for a bit, since massive amounts of snow dumped earlier that morning and the pass was slow moving, but a few beers later we didn’t mind one bit.

We arrived at Kev’s house later that night, after a nice (but dark, and very crammed) ride. He lives in Eagle-Vail, which is about a 5 to 10-minute drive from the Vail resort, and a $3 bus ride. I’m pretty sure he forgot to tell his roommates we were coming, but they were chill and super fun to hang out with (two were from South Africa!) Anyway, after goofing around in the snow for a bit (it was well past midnight by the time we arrived) we went to bed in preparation for a looong day of riding.

We spent the whole of Thursday and Saturday boarding at Vail; we really lucked out because there were perfect blue-bird skies with several inches of fresh powder from the day before. We spent most of Thursday riding the park (we tried to free ride from 2pm on, but with the mountain closing at 3:30pm, all we managed to find were damn cat tracks) and we spent all of Saturday exploring the hill. We would have loved to ride all 3 days, but with lift tickets pushing 100 bucks a pop, we opted for a day of kickers in Kevin’s backyard on Friday.

We definitely picked the perfect time to go on this trip. With kids going back to school that very week, the holiday rush was officially over; however, the mid-winter rush hadn’t fully begun. I was surprised though that even on Saturday, the lift lines weren’t crazy long. During busy weekends at Mt. Hood Meadows, you might wait in a lift line for up to 45 minutes, but I think the longest line we saw in Vail only took about 15 to get through! The mountain is HUGE – 193 named runs in all, 5,289 acres of skiable terrain, and 30+ chair lifts – so there’s a lot of ground to cover. One of the great things people kept telling me is that at 1pm in the afternoon it is still possible to find fresh tracks!

Now, the powder at Vail was out of this world. If you’re used to riding West Coast powder, like me, you’re in for a treat when you head to the Rockies. When it snows heavily in the Cascades, the powder is usually a bit heavier, and thus tougher to ride through, but the snow in Colorado is light and fluffy, and it literally feels like you’re riding on a cloud. Due to the warmer-than-usual weather we had in Vail, though, the powder wasn’t as light as normal; it was kind of a bummer that we didn’t get to experience “true” Vail powder, but no bother to me!

If we could go back and do things over, we would have spent more time riding the back side of the mountain (we didn’t discover this until basically the very last run of the day Saturday). If you get the chance to go to Vail, I would highly recommend heading over to the Blue Sky Basin part of the hill and taking Skyline express to the top; the run under the lift is unreal in untouched powder, and it was definitely our favorite run of the weekend.

Now, I really love riding the park and would be totally happy spending an entire day in it (as we did Thursday). The parks in Vail were pretty cool (there are currently two main terrain parks, and one for kids), but nothing really to brag about. They had some awesome jibs (pics to come soon!), and a good mix for riders at all skill levels, but the jumps were pretty beginner, which we realized after clearing every hit our first “test” run through. Now, I’m totally all for beginner jumps to practice new tricks on, but they did get a bit boring after a while; I would have loved to see a progression to give riders something to work up to.

Along the same lines, Vail is definitely a resort geared toward skiers (I’m assuming the beginner parks have a lot to do with it). We would have loved to ski at Breckenridge, which is more of a snowboarder’s resort, for a day (and actually had planned to do so) but with only three full days in Vail we didn’t get around to it. However, if you like freeriding, Vail is the place to be (being Colorado’s largest resort) especially if you’re planning a trip with both snowboarders and skiiers. And surprisingly, there wasn’t an overabundance of moguls, as we had expected – there was a pretty decent mix of everything.

Another caution before you go and plan your trip to Vail – it is expensive! Lift tickets are $97 (plus tax), however, if you’d like to save a spot of money it is *only* $87 for a half-day! Or $55 for an hour and a half (2 to 3:30pm). Hotels are at least $500 a night for an average, 2 person room, and can even run a few grand for a nice condo. Even parking is $25 per day. If you’re looking for a cheap place to go with a few friends for a weekend of boarding, Vail probably isn’t the place, but if you’d like to go on a nice family vaca or annual trip with your friends (and are willing to pay for the added luxury), the price is definitely worth it.

There are also several ways, though, that you can make your Vail vacation a lot less expensive. For example, since we stayed with Kevin, we didn’t spend any money on hotels (Kevin graciously accepted a weekend of drinking on us in return for his gratitude) and since he is a resort employee he was able to get us $45 lift tickets (a steal of a deal!) After our first day of riding, we made a Wal-Mart trip for food, and made sure to stock up on lots’o'liquor so we didn’t have to spend too much at the bars. There are also plenty of happy hours that offer awesome deals on food and drinks (some of which Dani will highlight in Vail post part 2); there was even one we went to on Thursday night that offered free (yes, FREE) beer! If you don’t have the luxury of staying with a friend but still want to save a few bucks on hotel costs, I’d recommend looking at hotels or motels in Eagle-Vail (10 min; $3 bus ride from Vail) or another near-by city. Also, if you don’t want to snowboard every day (well, of course you’d want to, but if you don’t want to spend the money to) then do what we did Friday – find a hill and build a tight kicker! There’s also lots of things to do in town that require little or no money, so that in itself is definitely enough to keep you occupied for a day.

All in all, Vail was a good time. Glad I went and I’d definitely go again! And if you are serious about planning a trip to Vail, stay tuned for Danielle’s post about things to do in Vail when you’re not on the hill, coming soon.