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Vail’s 2011-2012 Season Begins Friday, Nov. 18 with EpicMix Photo and a Terrain Park Experience on Born Free
  • $1 breakfast burritos and complimentary hot cocoa for opening day
  • Gear giveaways from Helly Hansen for first chair for both Vista Bahn Express Lift (#16) and Born Free Express Lift (#8)
VAIL, Colo. – Nov. 16, 2011 – Vail Mountain is scheduled to open to for the 2011-2012 season this Friday, Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. with access from both Vail Village and Lionshead, EpicMix Photo opportunities for guests and an opening day terrain park experience on Born Free for the third consecutive season.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, skiers and snowboarders will have access to the following lifts and 10 trails or more than 160 acres of skiable terrain in these areas on Vail Mountain:
  • Born Free Express Lift (#8)
  • Little Eagle Lift (#15)
  • Vista Bahn Express Lift (#16)
  • Eagle Bahn Gondola (#19)
Skiers and snowboarders will also have access to approximately 10 small to medium terrain park features on Born Free. This is the third consecutive season that the resort has been able to offer a terrain park experience to guests on opening day. Additional terrain will open to the public as soon as conditions and weather permit.

Guests can begin their EpicMix Photo experience at Vail in both the Lionshead and Vail Village base areas with special opening day photo opportunities with friends and family as well as with the Vail Ski Patrol and their avalanche dogs. The opening day festivities will also include $1 breakfast burritos and complimentary hot cocoa in both base areas. Proceeds from burrito sales will go to the Vail Veterans Program.

Both the Lionshead and Vail Village lift ticket/season pass and Vail Ski & Snowboard School offices will be open in addition to the Small World Nursery at the Golden Peak Children’s Center.

The Marketplace at Eagle’s Nest and Express Lift at Mountain Plaza in Vail Village will be open beginning Friday. Vail’s newest on-mountain table-service restaurant, The 10th, is scheduled to open Dec.1, 2011 and reservations can be made by calling (970) 754-1010.

Vail Mountain lifts will open at 9 a.m. throughout the early season to accommodate early-morning operations. Skiers and riders are asked to observe all posted signs and closures, especially during the early season. Closed trails may contain hazards due to early snow coverage. Crossing an on-mountain closure is a violation of the Colorado Ski Safety Act and will result in the loss of skiing privileges and could involve prosecution and a fine of up to $1,000.

EpicMix. Now with Photo
Vail Resorts’ award winning and popular ski and snowboard application EpicMix will make its Vail debut on Friday with added functionality that revolutionizes the vacation photo experience. EpicMix launched during the 2010-2011 season providing skiers and riders with hands- and hassle-free tracking of vertical feet skied, number of days skied and digital pin accomplishments thanks to a RF-enabled chip embedded in smart card passes. This season, Vail Resorts is taking and then giving free low-res on-mountain photos to guests to easily share on Facebook and social sites. Starting mid-December, guests will be able to take their own photos or get their photos taken and combine them with their vertical feet, digital pins and memories of other special moments of their visit through the new EpicMix platform. Additionally EpicMix is expanding its program to nearly all guests this year through an upgrade to "smart" RF-enabled lift tickets. For more information and to watch a video of EpicMix, visit www.epicmixphoto.com.

Book Private Lesson Multi Packs Now and Save
Book at least five full-day private lessons by Dec. 8 and lock in a discounted price of $675 per day. Or book six children’s lessons, also by Dec. 8, and lock in the $655 rate.
Visit www.vail.com/multipack or call (970) SKI-VAIL (754-8245) to book.

Epic Pass Available Through Nov. 29
Enjoy the best mountains in Colorado and California this season with one Epic Season Pass. The Epic Pass, available now for $669 for adults, is the best season pass deal in the ski industry offering unlimited, unrestricted skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar California and Arapahoe Basin. This season guests can also choose the new Epic Local Pass, available now at $519 for adults, the perfect option for locals offering unlimited and unrestricted skiing and snowboarding at Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin and 10 restricted days at Vail or Beaver Creek.

For more information about Vail Mountain, including opening day, terrain updates, snow reports, events and lodging and vacation values, visit www.vail.com or contact the Mountain Information Center at (970) SKI-VAIL (754-8425).
 
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About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, and the Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort property and hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and in the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

Contact(s)

Liz Biebl

Director, Brand Communications
Email: ebiebl@vailresorts.com
Phone: (303) 404-1831

Sara Lococo

Senior Communications Manager
Email: slococo@vailresorts.com
Phone: (970) 496-3210
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