- This story was
Published in the Maine
Sunday Telegram
- Published: December 22, 2002 (with
4 photos)
By Heather Burke
Like
Maine, Colorado is off to a phenomenal start to the ski season.
Already this winter, Vail has received over 12 feet of snow, and is
almost 100% open. Likewise, Aspen has received almost 9 feet of snow,
blanketing hundreds of acres of terrain.
Vail is the biggest ski resort in the U.S. Aspen may well be the most
famous ski town. If Vail attracts skiers and riders looking for the
most terrain, then Aspen appeals to those looking for the most
acclaim.
We decided a Colorado comparison was in order. So one week last
season, our family of four took on the arduous task of exploring both
world-renowned ski destinations to determine the cream of the Colorado
crop. Tough job, but as they say, “someone had to do it.”
Vail is enormous, 5,289 acres of skiing with 33 lifts. Compare that to
Sugarloaf’s 1,410 acres and 15 lifts and you can begin to appreciate
the magnitude of the largest ski area in North America. The Vail trail
map encompasses two mountains and three skiable faces.
An added
bonus for Vail skiers, sister resort Beaver Creek is just 10 minutes
away. Vail also owns nearby Keystone and Breckenridge, so skiers and
riders have reciprocal ski benefits at all of these major Colorado
resorts, talk about a ton of options.
Aspen has four separate ski areas, with cumulative acreage of 4,823
serviced by 40 lifts. Your Aspen ticket is good at the original Ajax
ski area, plus nearby Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, all
within minutes and a free shuttle ride of each other, and conveniently
represented on one multi-fold trail map.
Elevation is similar at Vail and Aspen, though Aspen’s Snowmass tops
out at 12,510-feet where Vail’s summit is 11,570-feet. Still Vail gets
almost 50 inches more snow annually than Aspen’s 300 inches of
Colorado-style light, dry powder.
You can fly into Eagle Airport near Vail or Aspen Airport. We found
both of these options pricey, but arriving at these airports would
eliminate your need for a rental car.
We booked a convenient direct flight from Boston to Denver, and rented
an SUV since our plan was to tackle six separate ski areas. Vail is an
easy two hours drive from Denver, Aspen is four.
If you like to stay slopeside, both Aspen and Vail have great ski-in,
ski-out towns jammed with lodging from posh hotels to condos. Aspen is
a funky Victorian style hub dotted with celebrities and glam shops
like Prada and Chanel. Vail is the postcard Tyrolean slopeside ski
village, complete with clock tower and covered pedestrian bridge.
Aspen:
If you
are looking to be first on the slopes, Aspen offers a free “First
Tracks” experience with a lift ticket. You must sign up 24 hours prior
with the ski concierge, then you can board the gondola at 8:00am, for
fresh tracks with a guide an hour before official opening.
Aspen’s flagship lift, the six-passenger Silver Queen gondola, lifted
us from the heart of the celebrated town to the summit of Ajax,
3,267-vertical feet in 10 minutes.
We really scored with seven inches of “freshies” on our First Tracks
morning. The early morning sun on the shimmering Aspen groves was
worth getting up for, the effortless turns in the fresh powder was
worth flying across the country.
If its steep you long for, Aspen Highlands has the expert reputation
of Aspen’s foursome. This is where the local powder hounds ski. The
well-pitched mountain has some of the best inbounds extreme skiing in
North America.
If you like scenic cruisers, Aspen’s Snowmass has what I consider the
most heavenly skiing on the planet. The Big Burn is named for the
forest fire damage that cleared all but a sprinkling of towering pines
on the perfectly sloped mountaintop. Riding a speedy quad, we threaded
infinite turns while admiring the red rock mountain ranges.
Snowmass is Aspen’s biggest, and we deemed it Aspen’s finest. Snowmass
has 3,010 skiable acres and the single most vertical of any mountain
in North America at 4,406-feet, (more than Vail’s 3,450-feet).
Snowmass got the nod from our son and daughter for printing a kids’
trail map. Kids love cruising the family adventure zones, skiing
through an Indian village, and even petting live reindeer on Rudolph’s
Run by following their own trail map, just like Dad’s only more fun.
The Long Shot was our most extraordinary run at Snowmass. A 10-minute
climb (not for everyone) leads you to a 3.7-mile adventure – a unique
in bounds, out-a-bounds experience.
Last of Aspen’s mountains is Buttermilk, which was hosting the X-Games
during our visit. This is the smallest and tamest, a great spot for
beginners and kids. We skipped over Buttermilk as it was heavily
populated with gen-Xers for the big event.
Vail:
Vail is the big daddy of North American skiing. At Vail, we boarded
the classy 12-passenger Eagle Bahn gondola and were launched up to
10,350-foot summit on Lion’s Head. Two runs and two lifts later we
were dropping into the legendary Back Bowls, rewarded with seemingly
endless untouched terrain.
The Back Bowls encompass a six-mile expanse of wide-open, above tree
line “ski anywhere you like” beauty. There are seven bowls, with a few
daily groomed runs amidst the immense territory.
If that’s
not enough, there’s Blue Sky Basin and Pete’s Bowl, a third mountain
face added in 2000, which is adventurous skiing on natural terrain and
glades.
Vail’s Front Side has loads of traditional trails from beginner to
bumps - served by quads galore. Vail gets busy on weekends. But with
so much terrain and an incredible lift system (15 of the 33 lifts are
high speed), you can find your own space. Follow the efficient lift
status signs at each peak that indicate any lift lines and avoid the
clusters.
Vail also has plenty of cool kids terrain including Chaos Canyon and
Fort Whippersnapper - a terrific on-mountain model miner’s fort.
Adventure Ridge is a mountaintop evening entertainment zone for
families with tubing, snowmobiling, laser tag, ice-skating and more
reached by Vail’s gondola.
Vail’s sister resort, Beaver Creek is a must see, must ski resort,
emerging from a gorgeous base village started in 1980. Beaver Creek’s
Centennial lift gave us 2,000-feet of vertical exhilaration, plenty of
bang for our buck. Here we explored meticulously groomed steep pitches
on the front face, and fantastic glade shots, with a fun pass through
the kids’ Zoom Room and Rowdy Ridge.
During our Beaver Creek day, we rode all six high-speed quads racking
up run after run on the 1,600 acres of vast terrain, including the
notoriously steep Golden Eagle Downhill course on the Birds of Prey.
We concluded Beaver Creek has the most consistent fall line skiing. It
was also our record vertical day during our Colorado trip,
34,200-feet.
On Mountain Lodges:
Out west, they do things big and the on-mountain lodges are no
exception. We felt that Spruce Saddle, the mid-mountain lodge at
Beaver Creek, had some of the best panoramic views of the Rockies
outside and a wonderful wildlife décor inside.
Vail’s summit Two Elk Lodge is another fantastic post and beam
structure offering very good cafeteria-style fare with outstanding
vistas.
Aspen’s Sun Lodge is an award-winning lodge, for its enviro-friendly
aspect. Made from green materials, this lodge at the top of the
gondola is beautiful inside and out, including dazzling views of the
Highlands Bowls and the famous Maroon Bells.
The Après Scene:
Aspen is the place to see and be seen. The best oxymoron we uncovered
is that so few Aspenites actually ski. This makes for fantastic
un-crowded skiing and admittedly great star spotting. Curl up by the
roaring fire in deep leather couches at The St. Regis Lobby Bar, the
place for après ski, and watch the parade of furs.
We had
a drink with comedian Carrot Top and apparently just missed Melanie
Griffith who frequents Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber’s trendy bar,
Whiskey Rocks. Our First Tracks ski instructor lives next to the
“Dons,” Henley and Johnson. That’s all the Aspen name-dropping I have.
Unlike Aspen’s glitzy après ski scene, Vail skiers and riders are more
hard-core, heading directly to the village bars in their ski boots, as
opposed to quitting early to don their furry après ski boots.
Vail appears the more rowdy of the alpine hamlets, but I cannot fairly
attest to which town has better nightlife. After all the skiing we
did, the pillow won. Suffice it to say you will not go thirsty, hungry
or un-amused after the lifts close in either of these animated ski
towns.
In one week we did the side-by-side ski test of Aspen and Vail, to
determine who is the fairest of them all. End result, we were
exhausted from logging 234,000 vertical feet – but gleeful. We came to
ski and we were highly successful, quite high literally too, skiing at
elevations over 10,000-feet.
We would gladly return to either resort and settle in for the
duration. I love Aspen’s ambiance – but enjoyed Beaver Creek’s terrain
most. My husband loves the vast Back Bowls of Vail, but says there is
no better 2,000-feet of pure vertical terrain than the Big Burn at
Snowmass.
My daughter says she would gladly move to Aspen. My son inquired about
colleges near Vail.
Aspen’s four diverse mountains and fabulous ski town will amuse anyone
for days, weeks, and for many - a lifetime. Vail alone takes a week to
conquer plus you have Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and
Arapahoe on the same ticket.
I recommend you bring the pace down a notch, settle in to one of these
incredible resorts and stay awhile. Pick the resort that suits your
personality. If you long for maximum vertical, neither area will
disappoint.
***
If You Go:
Aspen Skiing Company lift tickets are interchangeable at all four
mountains. 1-800-525-6200 or
www.aspensnowmass.com
Snowmass Club, just a short (free) shuttle from the mountain, has
beautiful 1 – 3 bedroom villas, with all the amenities and services of
a full service hotel, including 2 outdoor pools. The concierge will
arrange for lift tickets, dinner reservations, even stock your condo
with groceries prior to your arrival. 1-800-525-0710 or
www.snowmassclub.com
St. Regis Hotel is an elegant hotel, located in downtown Aspen. The
Ski Butler will pamper you, carry your skis, dry and buckle your
boots. 1-888-454-9005 or
www.stregisaspen.com
Ski and lodging information for Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and
Breckenridge is available at 1-800-427-8308 or
www.snow.com
Vail Cascade Resort is a four-diamond resort with its own chairlift, a
superb restaurant and bar, pools and hot tubs, plus a full service
spa. 1-800-420-2424 or
www.vailcascade.com
The Lodge at Vail is a wonderful European style hotel, right in the
center of Vail village and closest to the slopes. 1-800-331-5634 or
www.lodgeatvail.com
