Resort News

Following 13 inches of snow in the past seven days and with more in the forecast as the New Year approaches, Vail Mountain is now 100 percent open. All lifts at Vail Mountain are operational for the season, providing access to 5,289 skiable acres of terrain, the most currently open in Colorado.

Burton Snowboards, the Town of Vail, and Vail Mountain officially announced today a three-year contract extension that will keep the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships in Vail, Colorado through 2021.

Emma, the world’s first digital mountain assistant, announced today that she is now available to guide guests at nine Vail Resort properties, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Whistler Blackcomb in Canada; and Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in Tahoe. Guests can text Emma their questions at 77477.

It’s been an historic start to the winter season at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte, with record early openings, plentiful amounts of snowfall and terrain, and conditions that are comparable to late-January last season. Now is a great time for skiing and snowboarding in Colorado, as all five resorts head into the holidays with mid-winter conditions and festive events.

Today, Vail Resorts announced that Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, have made significant contributions totaling more than $2 million to support emotional wellness programs in nearly every mountain resort community in which Vail Resorts operates.

Vail Resorts today announced that the Company plans to invest approximately $175 million to $180 million in the guest experience in time for the 2019-20 winter ski and snowboard season across its network of 18 resorts. This latest investment is in addition to approximately $150 million invested for this season, bringing the Company’s industry-leading resort investment total to more than $1.2 billion over the last decade.

After receiving an additional four inches of snow overnight and more in the forecast through the weekend, Vail Mountain opened Blue Sky Basin today. This is the second-earliest opening for Blue Sky Basin in history, behind only the Nov. 25, 2002 opening. Vail is now offering 4,200 skiable acres of terrain, the most currently open in North America. “There is no doubt that Vail is the place to be for the holidays. We have almost 80 percent of the resort’s terrain open, and it is still November,” said Doug Lovell, Vail chief operating officer. “This is the strongest start to a season that we’ve seen in decades, and it is only looking to improve with more snow expected over the weekend. This is going to be a legendary season.”

Continuing its legendary start to the 2018-2019 season, Vail Mountain opened China Bowl and Tea Cup Bowl today, with plans to open terrain in Siberia Bowl on Tuesday. This expansion increases the resort’s open skiable acreage to 3,348, the most in North America.

Vail Mountain has opened its legendary Back Bowls, providing access to portions of Sun Up and Sun Down bowls via High Noon Express (#5) and Sun Up Express (#9). Vail is now offering 2,166 acres of skiable terrain, with more anticipated to open this week. This marks the third time in the last decade that the Back Bowls have opened this early. In 2014, the Back Bowls opened on Nov. 26, in time for Thanksgiving, and in 2010, portions of the Back Bowls opened on Nov. 24. The earliest the Back Bowls have opened this century was on Nov. 16, 2002.

A combination of some of the best early-November snowmaking conditions and more than four feet of natural snowfall last week have allowed both Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Resort to open early for the 2018-19 ski and snowboard season.