Vail

Vail’s lift system is a combination of 34 lifts, including one gondola, making it one of the top lift networks in the world. With 14 high-speed quads, the lifts move people up and around the mountain in a most efficient manner with a capacity for 53,381 people per hour, up from 51,781 with the addition of new chairs on the existing lifts in Blue Sky Basin. Lifts open at 8:30 am and close at 3:30 pm. Vail has added four new high-speed quad lifts in the last three years, enabling visitors access to the new Blue Sky Basin’s in-bounds backcountry skiing.  

The Eagle Bahn Gondola leaves from Lionshead, taking visitors to Eagle’s Nest, home to Adventure Ridge, Vail’s mountaintop activity center. Golden Peak is the eastern base area and features the Golden Peak, Superpipe and Terrain Park, the Nordic Center, daycare, and much more. The Riva Bahn takes skiers and riders up to the middle of the mountain, allowing for easy access to the legendary back bowls and Blue Sky Basin.

Because of the influx of day-skiers from nearby Denver, the lines for some lifts can be bad (15 minutes and more), especially at weekends. The base area lifts, the Vista Bahn and the Eagle Bahn Gondola, tend to have the worst problem with lines. However, it’s easy to avoid them by taking the Riva Bahn Express out of Golden Peak, or the Born Free Express up out of the Lionshead base area. These two lifts provide easy access to the entire mountain with no lines.

Lift passes
The Colorado Ticket is a fully interchangeable lift pass valid at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin, but it is only available to international visitors booking via a recognized tour operator and cannot be bought in the resort. If you book a 10-day package you get four days extra for free. Check out www.snow.com for ticket prices. Adult tickets range from US$245 to US$270 depending on low or high season for six or nine days. Peak season is the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and mid-February through the end of March, while low season is November through mid-December, and April.

There are several ways to purchase lift passes. They can be bought through the website or, once in the resort, every base area has a lift ticket window where lift passes can be purchased. Juniors and seniors get discounts. The cheapest day pass is US$32.50 from opening to December 21. If you’re a beginner and would like to take lessons, there is a special beginner ticket included with the ski lessons.