Friend coming to CO

[Odd Job]

I plan to show him and his Dad around, he is thinking Vail, is this a good choice?

I have heard things about Vail's parking lot, and an alternate place to park?

Any help would be appreciated :)

Any cheap places to stay, or is commuting preferred?

[John E]

I think Vail has a lock on parking. They will allow you to park along the service road only if the parking structure is full. I think it is $25/day to park.

The only other way to avoid this might be to find a parking lot near the East Vail Exit (?) and take the free bus into town.

[loopback]

I would have done more days at Vail if I had gotten there earlier in my trip.....

I paid the $25....I figured for the short time I was in CO that it was:

1. Close to the lift, no time or hassle with city bus

2. Allowed me to swap boards/jackets etc if needed quickly

3. It's underground and was nice and toasty to gear up in

4. The ski/snowboard museum is built above/into it and is SO worth the trip if you are already there (and it's free)

If there are 3 of you it's $8 each.....IMHO that's worth avoiding the time/hassle of city bus and you get the added benefit of having a car full of gear/food or whatever close by.

I would seriously do the musuem too. We were wiped out after riding bell to bell our day at Vail and almost skipped it as we just wanted to get home...we ended up spending well over an hour there. Nothing makes you feel old like seeing gear you rode in a museum

A taste......

[Odd Job]

Thanks! I'll be sure to check it out! :)

Were there any runs you particularly liked? I may, or may not have the opportunity to ride hardboots.

I would have done more days at Vail if I had gotten there earlier in my trip.....

I paid the $25....I figured for the short time I was in CO that it was:

1. Close to the lift, no time or hassle with city bus

2. Allowed me to swap boards/jackets etc if needed quickly

3. It's underground and was nice and toasty to gear up in

4. The ski/snowboard museum is built above/into it and is SO worth the trip if you are already there (and it's free)

If there are 3 of you it's $8 each.....IMHO that's worth avoiding the time/hassle of city bus and you get the added benefit of having a car full of gear/food or whatever close by.

I would seriously do the musuem too. We were wiped out after riding bell to bell our day at Vail and almost skipped it as we just wanted to get home...we ended up spending well over an hour there. Nothing makes you feel old like seeing gear you rode in a museum

A taste......

[ATTACH]33963[/ATTACH]

[boostertwo]

Thanks! I'll be sure to check it out! :)

Were there any runs you particularly liked? I may, or may not have the opportunity to ride hardboots.

Howdy, Noir;

Intel on good carving runs at Vail:

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?13096-Trip-to-Vail-which-runs

and the grooming report:

http://common.snow.com/groomingMap.asp?siteid=1

Info on Vail parking:

http://www.vailgov.com/subpage.asp?page_id=572

There are a limited number of free parking places in outlying areas and easily accessed using the free town shuttle.

http://www.vaileventparking.com/

Craigslist is a good resource for possible lodging:

http://rockies.craigslist.org/search/vac?zoomToPosting=&altView=&query=vail&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=&bedrooms=

VRBO is another:

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/colorado/northwest/vail

<img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/1zg96q8.jpg" border="0" alt="Powder and Light, Colorado Rockies">

Good recent snows and more forecast. Trees and pow are at least as good as the groomers.

Look forward to a great session!

Cheers,

B-2

[Odd Job]

Booster, thank you!

You mentioned the back bowls being carvable, are they still under these conditions? I know my friend has only ever skiied east coast, and is definitely going to do the bowls, I wonder if going up there in hardboots is wise. (Recently suffered my first core shot, on my freeride board... really dont' want this to happen to my alpine board).

Howdy, Noir;

Intel on good carving runs at Vail:

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?13096-Trip-to-Vail-which-runs

and the grooming report:

http://common.snow.com/groomingMap.asp?siteid=1

Info on Vail parking:

http://www.vailgov.com/subpage.asp?page_id=572

There are a limited number of free parking places in outlying areas and easily accessed using the free town shuttle.

http://www.vaileventparking.com/

Craigslist is a good resource for possible lodging:

http://rockies.craigslist.org/search/vac?zoomToPosting=&altView=&query=vail&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=&bedrooms=

VRBO is another:

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/colorado/northwest/vail

Good recent snows and more forecast. Trees and pow are at least as good as the groomers.

Look forward to a great session!

Cheers,

B-2

[boostertwo]

Booster, thank you!

You mentioned the back bowls being carvable, are they still under these conditions?

Yes, the bowls can offer good carving. Please keep in mind that the majority of the slopes in the Back Bowls are ungroomed and might be a bit more turbulent than you're looking for. You can find the groomed slopes in Back (and in Blue Sky Basin) using the daily grooming report. If you are here in March/April, also factor in daily freeze/thaw cycles, aspect, and elevation to identify and ride the very best conditions.

I know my friend has only ever skiied east coast, and is definitely going to do the bowls, I wonder if going up there in hardboots is wise. (Recently suffered my first core shot, on my freeride board... really dont' want this to happen to my alpine board).

Unless an epic powder day, Vail is a good mountain for a high performance carving setup. Coverage is good and if you ride with some level of accuracy a core shot is unlikely.

<img src="http://i45.tinypic.com/348rmux.jpg" border="0" alt="Scott Firestone, Vail, CO.">

PM when you're in town and I'm happy to meet with you to provide detailed local beta.

Look forward to a sensational session!

Cheers,

B-2

[Guest]

umm. completely off topic. is this an oil painting?

[boostertwo]

umm. completely off topic. is this an oil painting?

Negative.

The subject, Jeff Patterson, never stayed put long enough to paint in oil. We did the effect in post-production, using Photoshop.

I'm having the same issue with this guy, too:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QZ73IlvI2pc?list=UUnp7vZco7WlbxNaNEWCJv-g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I need to hang with slower company.

Or paint faster.

Cheers,

B-2

[Odd Job]

Funny thing, I always confused boostertwo with Sando haha.

Vail is GREAT for carving.

Negative.

The subject, Jeff Patterson, never stayed put long enough to paint in oil. We did the effect in post-production, using Photoshop.

I'm having the same issue with this guy, too:

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QZ73IlvI2pc?list=UUnp7vZco7WlbxNaNEWCJv-g" allowfullscreen="" width="640" frameborder="0" height="360"></iframe>

I need to hang with slower company.

Or paint faster.

Cheers,

B-2