Westbound Boarder

It is Friday (finally), so here are our favs of the week:

• Apparently you don’t have to be able to walk, to snowboard. Check out this incredible video of a ONE year old mini shredder. Ya, you heard me right, now go see for yourself.
• Free Jack Johnson Concert! Help out the environment and yourself all at the same time. What have you got to loose?
• Helmets really are cool! As reported on Transworld Business and a recent study by the National Ski Area Association (NSAA), 57% of skiers and snowboarders are wearing helmets. Think about it.
• As if the Vail Resorts are not classy enough, check out their 75-85mill in upgrades Heavenly, Vail and Keystone will be experiencing just in time for next years winter season. Now even more of a reason to check out these resorts next season.

Can you believe this pow at Keystone?!

Today is March 1, which means that spring is finally here (well, technically the official “first day of spring” is March 20, but with 70 degree temps yesterday, it may as well already be spring here in LA!)  Yet, if you head to any mountain in the Western region it seems like just the opposite.

Everywhere from Vail, Colorado to Mt. Hood, Oregon is seeing new snow continue to pile up.  Even the SoCal mountains are seeing more snow than usual.  Mt. High, for example, received nearly 10 inches of fresh pow over the weekend.  Though a bit later than most of us would have liked, it looks like El Nino has finally arrived.

So in case the March sunshine is making the ocean waves call your name, you might want to think twice before you officially trade in your snowboard for a spring suit.  This season’s here to stay!  For now, anyway.

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.