Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Fun! By Ronald Rougeaux At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek is a mammoth seven miles long and it is renowned for being the largest ski resort in the United States. In fact, the area is so big that even on a busy day there are just four skiers per acre! Now that is really impressive as most ski resorts do not have enough room on the slopes to move your elbow let alone ski. The mountain has a total of 33 lifts which conveniently transports people up the slope and the waiting time not long even on weekends when the weekend crowd streams into the area.

In 19 years in the SKI magazine polls, Vail has won the top spot 14 times for its powder, steeps, cliffs and terrain parks. In total the mountain is made up of three distinct areas and each has its own unique features. In addition, the mountain boasts of 4 terrain parks, 7 bowls and 5,289 acres of freeride terrain.

The three main areas of the mountain are the Front Side, Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin. The Front Side is made up of 1,600 acres and is perfect for beginners and newcomers. The terrain is easy and many ski schools use this side to teach skiing, especially to children. The Back Bowls comprises of 3,000 acres and is the most difficult terrain in the entire mountain. You have to be here on powder day to really enjoy the grades. Blue Sky Basin was added in 2000 and catapulted Vail to the zenith of skiing resort. The Basin offers gladed skiing and it is perfect for intermediate-level skiers.

It is believed that the Back Bowls was formed after fortune hunters drove out the Ute Indians in the 19th century when they were prospecting for gold and silver. This resulted in the Indians setting fire to acres and acres of forested land and the resultant deforested land is present-day Back Bowls.

Ski season starts in mid-November and runs through mid-April. The usual opening hours are from 8.30 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. However, in early February, the closing time is extended to 4.00 p.m. You can enjoy an entire day of skiing without any worries. You will also be able to find fresh tracks as the Mountain lays special emphasis on grooming the tracks by using snowcats during the night and day. In fact, the longest run on the mountain is Riva Ridge, which is 4 miles long, and you can ski down the entire length on a fresh track if you are lucky to catch it right after the grooming.

The mountain receives an average of 348 inches (881 centimeters) of snow annually. If ever there is a shortage, it is made up by the snowmaking facility, which has the capability of covering 390 acres. The maximum snowfall is usually recorded in March, but this is very seasonal and can change from one year to the next.

Vail Mountain was the first ski resort to get a gondola and it is operational even today. It is extremely popular and you can use it to go up to the famous mountain restaurant, the Game Creek. During summer months, the gondola is used by visitors to reach the mountain trails.

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