News Archive

OVERVIEW
VAIL: Because of mother nature’s generosity in snow and more than 5,000 acres of terrain, including the legendary Back Bowls, coupled with the vision inherent in the spirit of Vail’s founders, and a modern day commitment to excellence in all aspects of operation, Vail can credibly lay claim to being a resort like nothing on earth. Opens Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

BEAVER CREEK: From world class yet affordable accommodations, dining and spas to first-rate guest service, Beaver Creek also delivers terrain variety and adventure, complimentary family programming, the Ivy League of ski schools and top notch skier safety programs. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009

BRECKENRIDGE: Celebrating its 150th birthday this year, Breckenridge is far from old! Home to four huge peaks and 2,350 acres, the resort has debuted its new Peak 7 base area and reconstruction of the Peak 8 base area is on track with Rock Resort’s One Ski Hill Place opening in 2010. Opens Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009

KEYSTONE: It’s all here at Keystone: With more than 3,000 acres of skiable terrain expanding over three peaks and plenty of activities off the slopes including award-winning dining, a world class spa, tubing, snowshoeing, ice skating and more. Opens Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

HEAVENLY: Spanning two states and 4,800 acres, there's enough on-mountain action at Heavenly to satisfy the most hardcore skiers by day. When night falls, temptations abound: Vegas-style gaming, all-night dance clubs, world-class entertainment and five-star dining. Choose wisely! Opens Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

VAIL RESORTS: In addition to being the premier mountain resort company in the world and a leader in luxury, destination-based travel, Vail Resorts also operates a hospitality division, RockResorts, and a real estate segment, Vail Resorts Development Company.

The Epic Season Pass returns for another season and offers one of the best values in the industry. For just $599, you'll get unlimited, unrestricted skiing and/or snowboarding at all five of our world-class mountain/ski resorts - Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly - plus Arapahoe Basin with no black-out dates. Ski or ride as much as you want, whenever you want from opening day to closing day on more than 16,000 acres. epicpass.com

DID YOU KNOW?
• The 2009-2010 season marks the 10th anniversary of Vail’s Blue Sky Basin, featuring a vast expanse of wilderness-like terrain facing Vail’s legendary Back Bowls.
• Beaver Creek Resort was recognized for a record fourth consecutive year with top honors for the National Ski Areas Association’s Best Overall Guest Service Award.
• Breckenridge is celebrating 25 years of Snowboarding in 2009. It was one of the first resorts to embrace snowboarding and host one of the initial major snowboard competitions, “The World’s,” in 1986. The tradition continues this year with the Dew Tour, Dec. 17-20.
• Keystone has some of the top-rated restaurants in Colorado, including the Keystone Ranch, Alpenglow Stube and Ski Tip Lodge.
• Heavenly was picked as having the top ski resort nightlife and being the top “no car needed” resort by the readers of OnTheSnow.com.
• Vail Resorts tallied more than 5 million skier visits last season which is more than the total skier visits for the state of Utah.

WHAT’S NEWSWORTHY
• Snowmaking upgrades on Vail’s Golden Peak will allow for an earlier season opening for Vail’s flagship Fly Zone terrain park and for training trails for Ski & Snowboard Club Vail‘s athletes – perhaps the next Lindsey Vonn!
• Beaver Creek’s new Mamie’s Mountain Grill will feature signature soups, Euro dogs, Panini’s and “grill your own” kebobs. Overlooking the aspens in scenic McCoy Park, enjoy unparalleled views. A new kids’ six-lane, lift-served tubing hill will open around Christmas 2009 offering exciting family fun.
• Breckenridge debuted its new Peak 7 base area this season (the first new one since 1971).
• Keystone The Keystone River Run Gondola project is now complete with the addition of the new skier bridge from the mountain to the gondola giving skiers and riders easier access to the gondola from the slopes.
• In the last two seasons, Heavenly has added a new chair lift, six new trails, expanded a lodge and completed a new tubing lift.

GOLD MEDAL VALUES
• Kids Fly Free on American Airlines into Eagle Airport (EGE) between Dec. 1-17, 2009 and Jan. 3-Feb. 10, 2010. One free child ticket available for every adult fare purchased by Feb. 10, 2010. Kids also ski and travel to Vail or Beaver Creek for free. Call 866-668-8245.
• Stay four nights and receive the holiday night for free. When your stay is four nights or longer and you stay over the holiday, enjoy the holiday night on us! Visit snow.com for details.
• Lodging rates at the new Crystal Peak Lodge on Peak 7 start at $133/night and other rooms in Breckenridge start as low as $43/night for stays between Nov. 13, 2009 and April 4, 2010. Book by October 1, 2009 at Breckenridge.com. Keystone is offering guaranteed $149/$189 rates for one and two-bedroom condominiums at keystoneresort.com.
• Check out custom websites from Keystone and Heavenly for the latest and greatest offers both on and off the mountain: www.KeystoneTonight.com or “Countdown to Savings” on www.SkiHeavenly.com.
• Epic Pass: It’s the best value for skiing. $599 for unlimited skiing at six resorts on more than 17,000 acres with no black-out-dates for next season Visit epicpass.com.
• Free skiing for all Colorado 5th and 6th graders through Vail Resorts’ School of Shred Ski Program.

TOP 6 EPIC ADVENTURES
• Find fresh tracks and secret stashes on a powder day in Vail’s seven legendary Back Bowls, stretching seven miles wide. On an average day, there are only two skiers per acre, and on a busy day, only four!
• Micro site beavercreekextreme.com launches you into the resort’s top expert areas and highlights the mountain’s vast variety of adventurous and most challenging terrain. Visit the ‘other side’ of Beaver Creek.
• Ride to the top of the highest chairlift in North America, the Imperial Express SuperChair to 12,840 feet and ride the famed expert terrain of Breckenridge’s Lake Chutes.
• Keystone offers guided snowcat tours giving skiers and riders special access to nearly 300 acres of Keystone’s most challenging terrain in Independence Bowl.
• Heavenly offers some of the best tree skiing on the planet. Venture off any of the groomed trails and experience "the Hidden Heavenly."

TOP 5 FAMILY ACTIVITIES
• Ride up the Eagle Bahn Gondola to Adventure Ridge for family fun with ski biking, tubing, and much more. Then, cool your heels at Bistro 14 at Eagle’s Nest where adults can enjoy an eclectic variety of cuisine and kids always eat for just $10!
• Beaver Creek offers complimentary family activities six nights a week. Choose from a family snowshoe tour with cocoa and cookies, rail jams, disco skate night, and more.
• In Breckenridge, tour a century-old, authentic gold mine 1,000 feet below ground to learn more about the town’s 150 years of history.
• Checkout Keystone Resort’s new family event: The KIDTOPIA Festival, Feb. 19-21, 2010. The event includes the world’s largest snow fort, disco tubing, glow stick parades and more.
• Heavenly’s Adventure Peak offers sledding, ski bikes and a new, state-of-the-art tubing lift that will provide even more fun for the entire family.

TOP 6 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT SKIING
• Sign up for a nighttime guided ski biking tour with headlamps from Adventure Ridge down Born Free at Vail.
• Enjoy complimentary “Cookie Time’ warm chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon followed by a show at The Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek.
• Shop and tour Historic Main Street Breckenridge, where locally owned shops, boutiques and cafés are plentiful.
• Tubing at Keystone on one of the state’s biggest tubing hills.
• When the sun goes down at Heavenly, there's a Pandora's Box of après ecstasy in the form of Vegas-style action, all-night dance clubs, world-class entertainment and five-star dining.

TOP 6 COOL SCHOOL PROGRAMS
• SKImmersion at Vail. Train like a pro with intensive coaching on and off the slopes.
• Talon’s Challenge Jan. 24, 2010: Conquer Beaver Creek’s 13 toughest runs and 23,722 vertical in one day.
• Breckenridge’s Big Mountain Experience. Learn to bang out the big runs like the Brekkies do.
• Keystone’s Betty Fest. For girls only – pink boas + skiing.
• South Shore Soldiers Freestyle Mini-Camps at Heavenly: Learn from the pros, party with the pros.
• NEW: Guided program with local experts to give advanced skiers and riders an insider’s view of the mountains in a small group setting.

GOOD FOR YOU, GOOD FOR THE EARTH
• Sustainable Cuisine: Vail Resorts’ Appetite for Life program serves up organic dairy + locally grown food. New this winter: signature Epic Mountain Burgers and Yogurt Parfait desserts. Look for gluten free items too. It’s the largest program of its kind.
• Environmental education: With programs like SKE-Cology + Ski with a Ranger + Hike-cology + Nature Tours + Volunteer Vacations, Vail Resorts offers unique learning programs for you & your kids.
• National Forest Foundation partnership. More than $1 million has been raised by Vail Resorts guests to help local forests. Vail Resorts continues to focus on programs that positively impact kids and our environment.
• Plus More: Green weddings + green meetings + composting + recycling + energy layoffs and more.
• Recycle your old skis, boots, bindings and poles at all Colorado Ski & Golf and Boulder Ski Deal locations. Old gear gets a new life after being shredded and made into composite flooring and furniture.

CONTACTS

VAIL RESORTS CORPORATE
Kelly Ladyga, kladyga@vailresorts.com, 303.404.1862
Amy Kemp, akemp@vailresorts.com, 303.404.1863

VAIL MOUNTAIN
Liz Biebl, ebiebl@vailresorts.com, 970.754.3001

BEAVER CREEK
Jen Brown, jbrown@vailresorts.com, 970.754.5292
 
BRECKENRIDDGE
Kristen Petitt, kpetitt@vailresorts.com, 970.453.3210
Ryan Whaley, rwhaley@vailresorts.com, 970.547.7402

KEYSTONE RESORT
Kate Coble, kcoble@vailresorts.com, 970.496.4107
Katie Adamson, kadamson@vailresorts.com, 970.496.4065

HEAVENLY MOUNTAIN RESORT
Russ Pecoraro, rpecoraro@vailresorts.com, 775.586.4451
Aimi Xistra, axistra@vailresorts.com, 775.586.4461