Vail opens Blue Sky Basin just in time for super-snowy weekend

Cascade Village chair, Pride Express also up and running

It was snowing lightly Wednesday morning in Eagle-Vail, situated strategically between Vail and Beaver Creek, and 4 to 8 inches of fresh snow is in the forecast through Wednesday night. Vail opened its Blue Sky Basin ski terrain south of the existing Back Bowls on Tuesday, just in time for Wednesday’s storm and another much bigger blast of snow headed in for the weekend.

“Light-to-moderate snow will fall on the central and northern mountains on Wednesday and Wednesday night with 4-8 inches of accumulation. Wednesday last chair or Thursday first chair will offer fresh snow,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote on Wednesday morning.

“Then a strong storm will bring snow to all mountains from Thursday evening through Friday morning. Friday will be a warm, windy, stormy ski day, and Saturday morning should be the best time to ski deep, fluffier powder with 8-16 inches in the northern and north-central mountains and 15-40 inches in the south-central and southern mountains. Looking ahead, the next storm will arrive on Wednesday, December 21st.”

Here’s the full press release on terrain openings at Vail:

Vail opens Blue Sky Basin

After 20 inches of new snow in the last seven days, Vail Mountain on Tuesday opened terrain in Blue Sky Basin, accessed via Skyline Express (#37) and Pete’s Express (#39). Chaos Canyon, a children’s adventure zone, and the Avanti Terrain Park are also open with three boxes, one rail, two roller, two berms and one small jump. Vail’s 4,016 acres of open terrain are the most of any ski resort in Colorado and puts the resort at almost 80 percent open.

Vail has received nearly two feet of new snow in the last week, and the Colorado forecast is calling for consistent snowfall until Dec. 18.

“With more than 35” of snow in the last two weeks, we’ve been able to open a large majority of our terrain, including our legendary Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin,” said Doug Lovell, chief operating officer of Vail Mountain. “If the current weather pattern keeps up, we anticipate being 100 percent open heading into the upcoming holiday season.”

Skiers and snowboarders currently have access to the following lifts and 4,016 skiable acres in these areas on Vail Mountain:

• Gondola One
• Eagle Bahn Gondola
• Avanti Express (#2)
• Wildwood Express (#3)
• Mountaintop Express (#4)
• High Noon Express (#5)
• Riva Bahn Express (#6)
• Game Creek Express (#7)
• Born Free Express (#8)
• Sun Up Express (#9)
• Highline Express (#10)
• Northwoods Express (#11)
• Sourdough Express (#14)
• Little Eagle (#15)
• Orient Express (#21)
• Teacup Express (#36)
• Skyline Express (#37)
• Pete’s Express (#39)

All guests are reminded that they must observe all posted signs and closures, especially during the early-season. Closed trails may contain hazards due to early snow coverage. Accessing closed terrain is a violation of the Colorado Ski Safety Act and will result in the loss of skiing privileges and could involve prosecution and a fine.

Purchase In Advance to Save the Most

Skiers and snowboarders looking for the best prices on lift tickets need look no further than their smartphone or computer to navigate to www.snow.com/lifttickets. By purchasing lift tickets seven or more days in advance online, skiers and snowboarders will receive the biggest savings – up to 25 percent – and the lowest price, guaranteed. The more days that are purchased, the more guests will save. Advance purchase tickets can be sent directly to guests by mail, allowing them to bypass the ticket window. Guests can also easily pick up their tickets at the resort express windows – or even reload previous tickets, either at the ticket window or online. Online savings can even be found up to midnight the day before skiing or riding. All single- and multi-day lift tickets are printed on “hard cards,” which contain RF technology, allowing guests to capture their ski and ride experience through stats, photos and challenges, and even see any existing lift wait times through EpicMix, Vail Resorts’ industry-leading and award-winning ski and snowboard app. The lowest price guarantee is also available to guests who choose to book lessons in advance online through www.snow.com/skischool. Explore and book a ski or snowboard program online receive the best price, express check-in during the first day of instruction and guaranteed availability for an instructor. Additional vacation values from lodging to equipment rentals can be found at www.snow.com.

On Wednesday, Vail put out the following release about the opening of the Cascade Village chairlift and Chair 26:

After opening Blue Sky Basin on Tuesday, Vail Mountain opened mountain access via Cascade Village Lift (#20) and began operating Pride Express (#26). Vail’s 4,019 acres of open terrain are the most of any ski resort in Colorado. The Forest Flyer alpine coaster and ski biking at Adventure Ridge are also open.

Skiers and snowboarders currently have access to the following lifts and 4,019 skiable acres in these areas on Vail Mountain:

• Gondola One
• Eagle Bahn Gondola
• Avanti Express (#2)
• Wildwood Express (#3)
• Mountaintop Express (#4)
• High Noon Express (#5)
• Riva Bahn Express (#6)
• Game Creek Express (#7)
• Born Free Express (#8)
• Sun Up Express (#9)
• Highline Express (#10)
• Northwoods Express (#11)
• Gopher Hill Lift (#12)
• Sourdough Express (#14)
• Little Eagle (#15)
• Cascade Village Lift (#20)
• Orient Express (#21)
• Pride Express (#26)
• Teacup Express (#36)
• Skyline Express (#37)
• Pete’s Express (#39)