Before this weekend, all my best skiing experience had come from either the Alps or the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Whistler, Oregon). I had never skied in the Rockies before. How is skiing in Colorado different from skiing in the Alps? I had to find out.
I am happy to report I just got back from a 5-day “research trip” to Colorado. The highlight of the trip was, of course, skiing Vail. To really generalize, based on skiing only Vail, I would say that skiing the Alps is very comparable to skiing the Rockies in that both have great conditions, extensive slopes, sunny weather. There are, hoverer, some differences that could make or break the deal for some people.
Cost
A one-day Vail ski pass is $92. That is just ridiculously expensive. Not only that, the price is the same whether you start at 8 am or 11 am. All they do is half day, afternoon discounts. Contrast that with Verbier, a comparable mountain in the Swiss Alps. One day ski pass goes for $64 Swiss Francs ($63). Kaprun, a ski resort in Austria, sells their day passes for 35 Euro ($55) for adults and discounts for teenagers and kids. And that’s with the Euro being at its all time high.
I realize that skiing in the US is generally more expensive that skiing in Europe. Why? I am not sure. Less competition perhaps? All I am saying is that $92 for a day of skiing is excessive and makes skiing a type of elitist sport way beyond reach of an average American. A ski weekend for a family of four would be too expensive to even think about. That’s a shame, because–if you ask me–skiing rocks.
The good news is that there are people selling buddy passes and discounted tickets everywhere in Vail. I don’t know how legal it is, but it may, I hear, be possible to buy a day pass from a random person for about $40, which is much more reasonable than $92.
If you don’t own your own equipment, you have to add another $30-60 for a set of boots, poles and skis or snowboard. The Vail Sports center right by the ticket counter offers a special package for about $50, where you can try different kinds of equipment all day long, for only one run each if you want. This is a good way to test what skis you like before actually buying a pair. Equipment rentals are everywhere in the village and their prices are about the same. To get the best deal (but not the best equipment) the local Sports Authority rents packages from only $20/day.
Ski conditions
Like I said, skiing Vail is comparable to skiing in the Alps. Colorado is supposed to have 300 days of sun. I can’t confirm that because we only had one day of sun out of 5. I can’t really comment on the weather because I didn’t spend enough time in Vail.
This season was supposed to be one of the best seasons the locals can remember, with over 425 inches of snow. Usually, they get about 350. We did get about 10 inches of new snow just in the last few days, which made it amazing, especially if you consider it is April. In sunny weather, you almost need it to snow every night. The sun warms the snow and when it freezes, the slopes get icy immediately. If it doesn’t snow enough, sunny weather in the mountain is a bad thing. That is why spring skiing can be tricky.
The other problem with spring skiing in Vail is that they close the season so early. This year’s season will close this coming weekend although they have enough snow to last for a another month. Apparently, they must close it because the workers they hire have fixed-term contracts and don’t want to extend them at will (and don’t forget visa issues for the foreigners). The good news about skiing Vail this week is that they reduced the price of a day ski pass to $75.
Vail has some of the best bowls and moguls I have ever seen. I have to say the area that they groom in Vail is incredibly large. The lifts, on the other hand, could use an upgrade. There is only one gondola, from Lionshead Village. The rest are your typical quads, and not even the “bubbles,” where you get a clear plastic bubble over you to protect you from the wind and snow.
Ambiance
I never quite understand why so many Northern American ski resorts try to look like Alpine villages. It is kind of silly. Why not invent its own “mountain look”? I remember that I first learned the English word “contrived” when I was in Whistler village; it’s how Lonely Planet described the village.
“Contrived” is what best describes Vail, as well. Faux alpine-type buildings with pseudo-Bavarian window treatments. When I first walked into the square at Lionshead village, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was kind of like being in a Disneyworld version of Innsbruck. Everything is meant to look authentic, but it is a little too new to be authentic. (see photo)
That said, there are a few great little cafes and restaurants, both in Lionshead Village and in Vail Village (they are only about a mile apart). The French deli in the center of Lionshead square makes great coffee. People love the German place in Vail Village, Pepi’s, but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually eat German food (which is so similar to my native Czech cuisine) in Colorado.
Last, but certainly not least, the apres-ski possibilities are great. No need to say more.
Mountain photo: kw baker, Flickr
