Vail blasted by white stuff for the holidays

Vail got an early Christmas gift of more than a foot of new snow Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with more storms lined up to dump even more freshies throughout the rest of the week.

Vail Mountain on Wednesday morning is reporting 15 inches of new snow in the past 48 hours.

“The snow is coming down in Vail, and the resort will open more terrain heading into the holiday weekend,” Vail spokeswoman Sally Gunter said on Tuesday. “It’s a great time to come check out the mid-winter conditions.”

All 31 lifts will be operating by the weekend, and more than 5,000 skiable acres will be available for snow riding.

After a brief break, more snow is on its way, according to Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz:

“Snow fell heavily on Tuesday night across most mountains, so nearly all areas will have a great powder day on Wednesday. Enjoy! There should be a lull in the snow on Wednesday morning or midday, then another wave of snow should deliver 3-6 inches from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday night, and this should lead to freshies on Thursday morning as well. The next storm should bring snow on Thursday night through Friday with at least 3-6 inches for most northern and central mountains and 12-24 inches in parts of the San Juans.”

Here’s a press release from Vail Resorts about holiday weekend activities, other events this season and terrain openings at Vail:

VAIL, Colo. – Dec. 22, 2015 – Vail Holidaze is in full force at Vail Mountain, and the resort is celebrating by opening additional terrain heading into the holiday weekend. Beginning Friday, Vail plans to operate all 31 lifts, including Mongolia (#22). With 18 inches of new snow in the last week and more in the forecast, Vail anticipates having more than 5,000 skiable acres open for the holidays, including the legendary Back Bowls.

“Vail is skiing really well right now, and our entire mountain operations team has been working really hard to open as much terrain as quickly and safely as possible,” said Elizabeth Howe, senior director of mountain operations for Vail Mountain. “We’ve had a lot of early season snowfall, as well as ideal snowmaking conditions, and it’s allowed us to be almost 100 percent open heading into the holiday.”

On Monday, Vail opened the Golden Peak Terrain Park, as well as the skier tunnel at Golden Peak. The resort is currently working on the Bwana Terrain Park and anticipates having it open before the New Year, conditions permitting.

The festive celebrations of Vail Holidaze continue into next week with an annual tradition that welcomes in the New Year in true Vail style. On December 31, Vail Mountain will be aglow as Vail ski instructors and locals from the community descend down Golden Peak with glowing sticks in Vail’s annual Torchlight Parade. The glowing ski parade will be followed by a fireworks display signaling the start of 2016. Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, some of Vail’s signature events are yet to come.

Inspired by the Norse goddess of winter, Vail Mountain will host SKADI Fest, an inaugural women’s ski event. From January 20-22, 2016, female skiers will be treated to customized on-mountain guided experiences with female instructors, evening VIP events, and female-specific ski equipment demos. United by a passion for skiing and the outdoors, SKADI Fest is an event designed by women for women and is offered for any level of skier.

On February 6-9, 2016, CarniVail returns with more New-Orleans-style fun and Mardi Gras merriment. From a crawfish bowl to a Fat Tuesday Parade and Street Festival, CarniVail adds spice to the wintery atmosphere at Vail.

The 34th Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships will be held at Vail on February 29-March 5, 2016, bringing the world’s best snowboarders to Vail for a chance to claim the title in Halfpipe and Slopestyle. After watching Olympic-level competitors, enjoy free live concerts in Vail.

Taste of Vail returns with an iconic line-up of tastings and events from March 30-April 2, 2016. An early-booking offer on lodging and tickets is available through December 31, with saving up to 20 percent on the Taste of Vail Signature Pass.

EpicDay Lift Tickets Offer the Ultimate Convenience and Savings of up to 25 Percent

Vail Resorts is making it more convenient and affordable for skiers and snowboarders to purchase daily lift tickets to its 10 U.S. resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Afton Alps in Minnesota; and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. EpicDay Lift tickets offers advance or up-to-the-minute lift ticket purchases through an easy-to-use online and mobile site, www.snow.com/epicday. When purchased in advance, lift tickets can be picked up at a designated EpicDay Express Ticket Pick-Up lane at each resort. Once the ticket is picked up, guests can keep their ticket and load it with more days online, avoiding a return trip to the ticket window. EpicDay Lift Tickets rewards advanced planning, even if the purchase is made while walking up to the resort, with the lowest price guaranteed and less time spent in the ticket line.