Winter Activities
There’s a Chill in the Air!
Welcome to Vail, where winter is the favorite season and by far the longest. Even though the sun shines on the Vail Valley more than 300 days of the year, the average yearly snowfall is 335 inches and snowmaking operations on Vail Mountain encompass over 380 acres! The plethora of snow along with the abundance of snowfall makes the Vail Valley a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, vacationing families, corporate getaways, and leisure seekers. Arts, entertainment, and well-being are a big part of Colorado culture and Vail embraces this legacy to the fullest. The winter season is overflowing with concerts, activities, workshops, galleries, sporting events, and much more for visitors and locals of all ages and interests.
Snow-worshipping pursuits in the Vail area include on-mountain activities such as alpine, nordic, telemark skiig and snowboarding. Also family oriented activities such as ice skating, sledding, snowcat tours, snowshoeing, horseback riding, Adventure Ridge, and 4 Eagle Ranch. Or for a little more romantic vacation you may want to go on horse-drawn carraige or sleigh ride, a backcountry dog sled ride, or see the valley from the basket of a hot air balloon. For the more adventurous of the group there is ice climbing, winter fly fishing, ice fishing, hut-to-hut hikes, and 14'ers to climb. Some of these activities require guides, special equipment, and a healthy respect for the power of Mother Nature, which is why Vail is home to the highest level of outdoor professionals. On the other hand, many of the activities can be enjoyed by the whole family with little or no experience necessary, all you need is a sense of adventure and a knack for fun!
The Vail and Beaver Creek Villages are the place to be this winter with the many events to satisfy all the senses. Vail is home to Vail Snow Daze, the Bud Light Street Beat Concert Series, New Years Eve fireworks and ski-down, the 2009 Honda Session, Telemark workshop series, the American Ski Classic, the Taste of Vail, Vail Film Festival, and Spring back to Vail! Beaver Creek is home to the World’s Best Cookie Competition, Birds of Prey World Cup Race, Snowshoe Adventure Series and the Snowshoe Shuffle, the Telemark Workshop Series, New Years Fireworks and Ski-down, Wine and Spirits Series, Talons Challenge, and the Bon Apetit Culinary and Wine Focus. This is just the beginning of the fun you can have while visiting or residing in the Vail Valley! Please visit our Calendar of Events to start planning your vacation today.
As to not overwhelm yourself with the multitude of opportunities available you may consider us as your local source for insider information and assistance. Please feel free to contact us at (800) 714-7114 or Altima@vail.net for more information.
