Extract
Reader Resort Survey 2005: West
See also cover story on page 161 of same issue.
1 Vail, Colo. "All you could want. There's Vailthen all the rest."Albert Einstein never could come up with a Grand Unified Theory of the Universe. Neither can we. But Vail has perfected the Grand Unified Theory of Skiing. Better than any resort on the continent, this Colorado behemoth is able to be all things to all skiers. That again earns it King-of-the-Mountain statusand SKI readers' No. 1 ranking. With families increasingly suffering from time poverty, what are they looking for in a ski vacation? A guarantee. That may be the secret to Vail's success. "Vail is a sure bet for one day or for several weeks," a reader raves. "It has a little bit of everything." That's not exactly correct. It has a lot of everythingincluding "weekend crowds!"especially at choke points from Mid-Vail on down. Consider them the price of admission to the "spectacular terrain that goes on forever" up high. Vail's numbers, though downright imperial (5,289 acres, 34 lifts, 193 trails, 3,450 vert, 1.5 million annual skier visits), don't convey its core attraction. The resort consistently spends money like a New York congressman to get you to return. Whether it's expansion into Blue Sky Basin a few years back or the $500 million redevelopment of Vail Village and LionsHead a few years hence, skiers get the feeling that the resort is working hard to keep a fresh face. In fact, after 40 years, rivals are still trying to catch up with the Back Bowls. (With 3,611 acres stretching across six miles, they alone are bigger than most resorts.) Of course, one skier's innovation is another's commercialization. "Home to the $70 lift ticket and the $10 bratwurst," sounds a common complaint. "You need a backpack of money to ski there." Still, many view Vail as "a good value for what you get." And what you get is as plentiful off the snow as on, as a stroll down Bridge Street readily confirms. The Red Lion roars aprs-ski, while the sunny Los Amigos deck provides a view of the inevitable carnage on the steeps of Pepi's face. And no matter your culinary tastes (The Wildflower, Sweet Basil, Game Creek), you'll find a spot to indulge them, and like-minded people to indulge them with. That's the key. Because the resort is "so huge, with so many choices," once again it's, "Hail, Vail! The King!"Greg DitrincoLOCAL SECRETTHE MINTURN MILE Find a local guide and head out of bounds at the Game Creek Bowl. A long trail deposits you steps from the Minturn Saloon. Grab a beer and figure out how you're going to get back.THE LATEST A renewed emphasis on grooming, with 10 new snowcats added to the fleet; a swanky bridge replaces the original span at LionsHead and Gore Creek. This is the calm before the $500 million redevelopment storm.DON'T MISS Taking your offspring to Adventure Ridge to ride the kid-size snowmobiles. (Then get outta the way.)RANKINGS 03 Terrain 03 Lifts 03 Activities 04 Nightlife 05 Family 28 Scenery 75 Value2 Deer Valley, Utah "Great attention to detail. The luxury resort."Some folks like their ski trips a little rough around the edges. The rest of us love Deer Valley. "These folks know how to run a resort," one reader ravesand with this 1,750-acre Park City pleasure dome nailing No. 1 honors in Grooming, Service and On-Mountain Dining, it's hard to argue. Indeed, a visit to Deer Valley is nothing if not an educati...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
