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Photo by David Williams
Headline RSS FeedBeaver Creek offers quality ski product for kids despite lack of snow
November 26, 2007 —
It’s either the world’s shortest gondola or the world’s fastest moving warming hut suspended above the snow by cables. I rode the new Buckaroo Express at Beaver Creek four times Sunday, and I’m still not completely sure which it is.
The Buck takes exactly three and a half minutes to whisk you to the “top” of the Beav’s beginner area, and the Haymeadow run – in surprisingly good shape given the lack of snow of late – takes about the same amount of time to get down, even with my 4-year-old son Max in tow.
Then you begin the process of taking off your skis and schlepping them on the gondy all over again. Max and my 7-year-old son Nick enjoyed the novelty the first couple of times but then started complaining about having to take their gear off and drag it onto the Buck.
Maybe it’s just because they’re hardy mountain kids (or so I’d like to think) but they seemed to prefer the old, open-air chairlift on what is undoubtedly the best base-area beginner ski terrain in the valley.
But if I put my marketing hat on and look at the long-term thought process behind the Buck, it starts to make more sense. Beginners are freaked out by inclement weather, and though we’ve had precious little of it lately, the snow will come, and when it does there will be some never-evers who will appreciate the comforts of the Buck.
Sunday was not one of those days. While it was only in the 30s and blessedly not one of the balmy, near-60-degree days common throughout most of the month, it was still quite sunny and pleasant. The good news, though, is that change is on its way.
The possibly season-saving cold snap and little bit of snow that rolled through the valley last week will be followed by a string of likely snow days beginning Sunday night and stretching into mid-week and on into the weekend (of course, just in time for the World Cup – see story in Real Sport).
After a hair-raising run with Max on Vail’s Born Free trail last Wednesday (the largest single ski mountain in North America currently only has 76 acres open after a mere 3 feet of snow has fallen so far this season), the Haymeadow run was a far more relaxing experience. And the new gondola will clearly be a great boon in the summer when the new alpine slide is installed.
We pulled the plug on a Moab trip over the Thanksgiving weekend due to the more winter-like temps and headed up to the Beav’, which opened Friday. It was surprisingly worthy, and coupled with catching the last day of free ice skating in the Village, the boys and I had a really good day.
Monday, Nov. 26, Nick and I are off to Summit County to explore some of the resorts with a little more terrain open – maybe aiming for an A-Basin/Breckenridge double. As of Monday, half of Colorado’s 26 ski resorts (13 total) are open for the season with very limited terrain.
My goal is to hit all 26 this season, and after five days on skis so far, I’ve tallied six (A-Basin, Loveland, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Vail and now Beaver Creek). Let’s all pray to the snow gods that I haven’t chosen the absolute worst season to launch this quest.
Channel 9, the NBC affiliate in Denver, reported Sunday night that snowpack throughout Colorado is 70 percent of normal, and that there were only 136,000 vehicles traveling through the Eisenhower Tunnel on Interstate 70 between Wednesday and Saturday over the Thanksgiving weekend compared to 159,000 during same period last year.
But, most ski resort officials will tell you the Thanksgiving holiday is not a big moneymaker anyway. It’s more of a set-up for the rest of the season, i.e., early snow translates to early reservations. If the snow comes, the bookings will pick up. And weather forecasts are looking promising for the coming week.
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Photo by David Williams
Beaver Creek opens with new family-friendly gondola
November 23, 2007 —
Beaver Creek finally cranked up its lifts Friday, a couple of days after its originally scheduled opening of Wednesday, Nov. 21. Better late than never I always say.
In fact, local families or skiers in town with small kids will likely find it worth the wait. Beaver Creek opens with the new beginner Buckaroo Express Gondola online and the famously family-friendly Haymeadow run. The only other run opening today at the Beav is the intermediate Latigo trail.
Until Vail is able to open more terrain – and recent cold temps and a bit of natural snow should aid that process – its only open trail, Born Free, is a bit tough for younger skiers. Beaver Creek should offer a slightly less nerve-wracking experience with little ones (see Wednesday’s O. Report).
“Our snowmaking and grooming crews are taking advantage of both the recent cold temperatures and natural snowfall to provide a good snow surface over the holiday weekend,” John Garnsey, chief operating officer for Beaver Creek, said in a release. Beaver Creek was reporting 8 inches of new snow in the last 48 hours as of Thursday afternoon.
The new gondola is 1,671 feet long with 10 towers and a ride time of 3 minutes, 45 seconds. It replaces the old Haymeadow chairlift and can carry 1,665 people per hour.
“Kids learning to ski and snowboard will find a customized and more comfortable mountain experience with the new Buckaroo gondola,” Pete Sonntag, director of the Beaver Creek Ski and Snowboard School, said in a release.
After a day on the slopes, hit the 27th annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and Gingerbread House Competition in the evening. Free ice skating is offered in Beaver Creek Village through Nov. 25.
The only hitch is passes are restricted today and Saturday due to the limited terrain, and day passes are going for $59 for adults and $39 for kids 12 and under. As a result, and in a bid to do something different, we’re headed to Moab, Utah, tomorrow, where I hope to blog next from the land of Edward Abby.
Stay tuned, and remember, early-season conditions definitely do exist, although there may be some light snow rolling in today.
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By David O. Williams
Opening day made more interesting with a 4-year-old
November 22, 2007 —
If you want to put a whole new twist on opening day, especially one with limited snow and limited terrain, take along a four-year-old.
I spent part of the afternoon on Vail’s only open run, Born Free, with my sons Nick and Max. Nick, 7, was clearly in his element and wanted to turn his new skis loose on the firm, mostly manmade snow (although I should note it was somewhat softened by 4 inches of new snow the night before).
But being the good big brother that he is, Nick patiently helped his little bro work his way down the long and occasionally steep – by Max’s standards at least – intermediate slope in the Lionshead area of Vail.
And to his credit, after initially balking at conditions, the steepness and the crowds, Max rallied and managed to have a good time on the lower two-thirds of the slope. Needless to say, starting your little guy’s season off by literally throwing him into the deep end probably isn’t the best way to go.
Still, a good time was had by all, and on the bus ride home Max was wondering when Day 2 would be. I explained to him that I was already on Day 4 (at five different resorts), quite a feat given the snow-challenged state of the season so far. He didn’t seem particularly impressed.
Looking ahead, there’s a slight chance of snow Friday, although that storm is headed mostly toward the southern part of the state, and the good news is the temps have dipped into the much more November-like 20s and 30s during the day – much better for sustained snowmaking.
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Storm finally deposits some white stuff
November 21, 2007 —
Oh, what a difference a day makes.
Tuesday was balmy and nearly 60 degrees. But this morning we woke up to 4 inches of fresh snow, which won’t exactly make Vail’s opening day a snorkel-mandatory pow day today but it will at least whiten up the surrounding mountains (see West Vail deck cam) and improve everyone’s doom-and-gloom disposition.
Vail is officially reporting 4 new on an 18-inch manmade base on the only run that will be open today, Born Free, and the temps have dipped significantly so snowmaking efforts can pick up. More snow is possible Friday for the opening of Beaver Creek – originally set for today but now pushed back to Friday.
Breck is reporting 6 new, Keystone 4 and A-Basin 3, but all three of those Summit County mountains will have more terrain open today, so if you have a Vail Resorts’ Colorado Pass, that might be a better call if you’re coming up from the Front Range.
Check this space later today for a report on Vail’s limited opening. I’ll be heading up in the afternoon with my two oldest boys, who are out of school for the Thanksgiving holiday. Wish us luck.
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