Introduction
Lodging
Resort
Skill levels
Transportation
Itinerary
Backstory
Pricing
Everyone loves Vail. Massive bowls, massive terrain... and, on weekends, massive crowds. We'll go against the flow, arriving in Vail on a Sunday and skiing / riding on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That'll give you less time in lift lines, and more time on the slopes.
New for 2009: You've got the option of beginning your trip in Vail, Colorado, then enjoying a private door-to-door ground transfer to extend your trip to the world-class Aspen / Snowmass resort, just two hours away. Enjoy six uninterrupted days of skiing and riding at two of America's very best ski resorts.
Click on the tabs at right to learn more about our trip to Vail.
The Vail Cascade Resort and Spa is nearly its own resort all its own; it just happens to be at the base of America's largest ski resort. It's a AAA Four-Diamond property, sprawling and impressive with 300 rooms, gourmet restaurants and a friendly staff who are eager to take care of you. It's got all the amenities you could dream of, from newly renovated beautiful outdoor pools and hot tubs to a full-size health club. Pillow-topped matresses, overstuffed pillows, plush terry-cloth robes, mini-fridges and in-room coffeemakers make the rooms extra comfortable, while the adjoining Aria Spa offers massage, aromatherapy steam rooms, and dozens of rejuvenating skin treatments in its own 14,000 square foot facility.
What's best, this ski-in, ski-out facility at the Lionshead area offers its very own chair lift; no morning wait times to board the Eaglebahn Gondola!
Access to slopes:
- Ski-in, ski-out. The resort is at the end of its own trail, and offers its own chair lift for hotel guests.
- Complimentary ski and snowboard check
Amenities include:
- Complimentary daily voucher for the Vail Cascade breakfast cafe, serving Starbucks Coffee, breakfast burritos, bagel sandwiches, etc.
- Newly-renovated outdoor heated pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, full-service spa and health club
- In-room mini-fridge, coffeemaker, high-speed internet, in-room movies, Nintendo game consoles
- Business center, complimentary Wi-Fi in the lobby
- 24-hour room service, on-site gourmet restaurant, cafe
- On-property ski and snowboard shop, Charter Sports
- Complimentary shuttle buses throughout the Vail valley
Roommates & single occupancy
- If you've got a roommate in mind, you may sign up with another member and share a room. Or, SKI BUMS can easily match you up with someone.
- Note: For both Vail and Aspen, you are not required to sign up with a roommate who is doing the same Option that you are. If you've got a roommate for Aspen but not for Vail, we can arrange a roommate for you.
- Take note that about half of our trip participants sign up without a specific roommate in mind.
- Single occupancy rooms are also available; to inquire about the single occupancy upgrade, simply email us.
Lift tickets
- 3-day lift ticket for Vail
Vail stats
- Take a virtual tour of Vail >
- Skiable acres: 5,289 acres*
- Summit Elevation: 11,570’
- Base Elevation: 8,120’
- Number of lifts: 32
- Vertical Descent: 3,450’
On equipment
- About half our participants will bring their own skis / snowboards. If you'd like to rent equipment, we have a discounted offer from a partner rental shop. Inquire about rental rates >
What you'll love about Vail
At first, it's the little things. Trail maps where you'd expect them. Tissue boxes in every bathroom. Extra signs at the top of each lift telling you which runs are freshly groomed. Lifties that are not only cute, but sincerely friendly. There are numerous reasons why Vail is widely considered America's best ski resort, and when you visit, it's those little things that you notice...
Until you get onto the mountain. Then, it's the big things.
Like 5,889 skiiable acres of terrain that seem to stretch in every direction, with seven -- yes, SEVEN -- endlessly HUGE bowls. Wide blue groomers, undulating roller coaster runs through clumps of trees, and fields of moguls that go on so long that your knees bend just by looking at 'em. Blue Sky Basin is an instant favorite, and even the cafeteria grub wins raves. If anything, it's hard to find anything not to love about Vail, and that's why its lifts can clog up with wait times on weekends. We'll be avoiding the masses -- skiing and riding on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Click on "Skill Levels" to learn more.
Beginners should realize what they're getting themselves into. Vail is stunning, and its instructors are among the very best in the world, but there's not a lot of beginner terrain here. One thing that's unique, though, is this: the best beginner areas are at the top of the mountain. If you're looking to learn to ski or board, you won't find a much more beautiful view while you're on the easy stuff.
Strong intermediate skiers and snowboarders will find much to love at Vail, especially in the Blue Sky Basin area, two gorgeous tree-filled bowls that invite exploration; back here, it's nearly impossible to ski the same path twice. If you're starting to dip your toes into black diamond terrain, you'll find Vail an impressive challenge, and if you've never experienced a wide open bowl, you'll find yourself salivating: Vail's got seven of them. Check out the trail map to see what we mean >
Vail is one of the world's best places to graduate from intermediate to advanced terrain, if only because there's so much of it, and it's got such a rich reward. Wide open steeps within Vail's astounding back bowls give you the freedom to fall down in Colorado powder without worrying about bumping into something -- or someone. Advanced skiers and riders will go crazy here; in many ways, it's a black-diamond dream. Very highly recommended for advanced skiers and boarders, and strong intermediates who are ready for a fun-filled challenge.
At Vail, you won't find an abundance of the kind of steeps, chutes, and cliffs that you might find a resort like Jackson Hole, Big Sky or Chamonix, but if you love bumps, you'll be in heel-to-knee paradise. Vail's got some of the longest, largest mogul fields on earth. Have a look at High Line, Blue Ox and Rodgers Run. On a powder day, of course, it really doesn't get much better than Vail; although the back bowls are often skied out by lunchtime, our slopeside accommodations -- and special lift for hotel guests -- make it awfully easy to catch first-chair.
Skill level groupings
On every SKI BUMS trip, we begin by introducing you to other skiers and boarders who enjoy the same type of terrain that you do. For this trip, we expect a large number of intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders, with a few beginners along for the fun. You'll get to meet them at our Meet & Greet, on the first night of our arrival.
SKI BUMS trips do not include air transportation (except when we're traveling overseas). You'll need to book your own flight. For this trip, we've got discounted airport transfers, which you'll need to book on your own. SKI BUMS will provide ground transportation for those who are traveling with us between Vail and Aspen. We've got three signup options, which are: For this option, Sunday and Wednesday are your travel days. The first item on our itinerary will be a meet & greet at our hotel on Sunday evening. Plan to be checked-in at our lodging by 7:00 P.M. on Sunday; the room will be reserved under your name. Flights: Wednesday departure: Ground transfers: See the Sunday the 15th and Sunday the 22nd are considered travel days. The first item on our itinerary will be a meet & greet on Sunday evening. Plan to be checked-in at our hotel by 7 P.M. at Vail; the room will be reserved under your name. Flights: Ground transfers:
Vail Eagle (EGE):American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United all serve Vail Eagle. Take note: those who fly into Vail Eagle can redeem their boarding pass for a free same-day lift ticket, and our hotel is happy to store luggage for you if you arrive before your room is ready.
contact us and we'll gladly make arrangements for you.
Colorado Mountain Express, call 800.525.6363 to make a reservation, and tell them you're with SKI BUMS.
Vail Eagle (EGE):American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United all serve Vail Eagle; see "What is everyone else doing?" below.
Colorado Mountain Express, call 800.525.6363 to make a reservation, and tell them you're with SKI BUMS.
As with all SKI BUMS trips, we'll begin with a comfortable, casual meet & greet, where you'll have the chance to meet the other trip participants, get your lift tickets, and receive a thorough itinerary and information packet with everything you'll need for a well-organized trip. That happens on Sunday night, and from there, we'll dine together at one of the local restaurants at Vail village. You should plan to be checked-in at our hotel by 7 P.M. on Sunday to enjoy our first evening's festivities.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
We'll begin our days bright and early; this trip is all about the skiing & riding! We've got a chair lift all to ourselves at the Vail Cascade, where we'll start our day on Monday with a quick meet up. From there, you've got three days to tackle Vail's extensive terrain.
Each day, we'll have pre-planned spots for lunch and aprés-ski. On all SKI BUMS trips, you can join our planned itinerary, or break away from the group to do your own thing. It's your vacation to relax and have fun!
Wednesday and Sunday are travel days
Check-in on Sunday begins at 4 P.M.; if you arrive early, the Vail Cascade is happy to hold your bags for you. Those who arrive on a morning flight to Vail Eagle can redeem their boarding pass for a free same-day lift ticket. To join our Sunday evening meet & greet, you should plan to check-in at our lodging by 7 P.M. The room reservation will be waiting under your name. On Wednesday, check-out is at 10 A.M.; we'll be storing our luggage at the hotel while we ski and ride that day, then take advantage of the hotel's common-area restrooms to change before heading out. See "Transportation" to help plan your travel for this trip.
Get the backstory -- the "inside scoop" on SKI BUMS planning!
When we polled our members for ideas on planning our 2009 season, two Colorado resorts leapt to the top of the wish list: Vail and Aspen / Snowmass. They also told us they'd love to take a full week off of work and enjoy six days on the slopes -- something similar to our popular week-long escapes to Europe -- but here in the States. With those things in mind, we crafted a trip like none we've ever offered before: two destinations back-to-back, with the option of enjoying them individually or as an extended Colorado getaway.
With Valentine's Day on a Saturday this year, we opted to begin our trip on Sunday. (We suspect, however, that some romantic types may start the weekend early with a Saturday night stay in Denver.) Thankfully, mid-February is an ideal time to enjoy Colorado, and the early season snowpack already indicates that Colorado's in for a fantastic year. Coverage on the slopes should be excellent, and we're going to cross our fingers for a powder day!
From there, the big question is, "Where to stay?" Knowing that many of this trips' participants would be extending the trip to Aspen, we wanted to keep costs reasonable, so we went bargain-hunting. We lucked out with a killer deal from one of Vail's top properties, the impressive Vail Cascade Resort and Spa. It's a AAA 4-diamond resort, and it's just completed a multi-million dollar renovation, with a beautiful new outdoor pool and hot tub. Although the rooms and the amenities played their own vivid siren song, it was the fact that we'll have our own chair lift that ultimately won us over. Early morning lines at the EagleBahn gondola can start the day with a buzzkill, and we're psyched that we'll be able to avoid all that. Vail's got an extensive free shuttle bus system that serves the whole Vail valley, and those buses stop at our hotel; when you're in the mood to visit the other parts of Vail village, it's easy to get there.
There's no denying that Vail is one of the best places to ski and ride in the world. We believe that this week in Colorado is a bit like a visit through "Skiing's Greatest Hits," and we're especially excited to let the music play.
If you've got any questions about this trip, don't hesitate to email us.
Our members have told us that they'd love to spend more time out West; to give our trip some fun variety, we've got three options for the week of February 15 - 22:
Sunday, February 15 to Wednesday, February 18
Included:
- 3 night double-occupancy accommodations at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa, a ski-in, ski-out hotel at the base of Vail
- 3 day lift ticket to Vail
- Welcome reception on Sunday, February 15th
- Optional add ons: Single occupancy
Option One payment schedule:
- $400 desposit
- $409 due January 7
Price for Option One: $809
To learn more about our trip to Aspen, which takes place on the four days after our trip to Vail, click here>
Sunday, February 15 to Sunday, February 22
Included:
- 3 night double-occupancy accommodations at the Vail Cascade Resort and Spa, a ski-in, ski-out hotel at the base of Vail
- 3 day all-access lift ticket to Vail Mountain Resort
- Welcome receptions on Sunday, February 15th
- Private door-to-door ground transfer shuttle from Vail to Aspen on Wednesday, February 18
- 4 night double-occupancy accommodations at the Stonebridge Inn, a slopeside hotel at the base of Snowmass
- 3 day all-access lift ticket to Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass
- Welcome reception on Wednesday, February 18th
- Optional add ons: Single occupancy
--- And ---
Option Three payment schedule:
- $600 desposit
- $629 due January 7
- $600 due January 31
Price for Option Three: $1829
Cancellation policy:
- On or before December 31: $100 fee
- On or before January 7: $200 fee
- On or before January 14: $600 fee
- After January 15: No refund
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