Vail receives early Christmas gift with powder-packed weekend

Season pass restrictions in place for holiday week at Vail, Beaver Creek

Vail enjoyed an early Christmas present over the weekend with nearly two feet of new snow since Friday and large sections of the mountain opening up just in time for the Christmas holiday.

Vail reported 9 inches of new snow Monday morning on top of an 8-inch powder day Saturday and nearly 5 inches on Friday. Blue Sky Basin opened for the weekend, with super-soft north-facing terrain loaded with new snow.

Skier Drew Rouse enjoys fresh snow in Sun Down bowl on Vail Mountain on Saturday (Daniel Milchev, Vail Resorts).

As of Monday morning, 3,295 of 5,289 total skiable acres at Vail were open to snow riders, with more terrain possibly coming online as conditions improve. Another 2-4 inches of snow is in the forecast for Christmas Eve.

Then a warming and drying trend moves in for the next several days – perfect for the typical holiday skiers who enjoy warmer temperatures and greater visibility – before the next storm rolls into the Vail Valley on Sunday, Dec. 29.

“Look for a break in the snow today [Monday], then expect another 2-4+ inches across northern Colorado during the day on Tuesday,” according to meteorologist Joel Gratz of Opensnow.com. “The rest of Christmas week will be dry, with the next chance of flakes coming on Sunday.”

Season pass restrictions will be in effect at Vail and Beaver Creek during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holiday period, according to Vail Resorts. All Epic Local Passes, Merchant Passes, Guest Fee and Community Relations Passes are restricted Thursday, Dec. 26 through Tuesday, Dec. 31.

All premium pass products, school employee pass products and student pass products are valid for skiing and snowboarding during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holiday period.

Restricted pass holders may ski or snowboard Dec. 26-31 by showing their pass and purchasing a discounted lift ticket at any ticket window; rate varies by pass type. Restricted season pass holders with Lift Charge will automatically be charged the applicable rate on their credit card when the restricted pass is scanned at Vail and Beaver Creek from Dec. 26- 31.

Beaver Creek Resort has lifted season pass restrictions for foot passengers only on the Strawberry Park Express Lift (#12) from Dec. 26- 31. Snowshoe and cross country enthusiasts can stop by the Nordic Sports Center and pick up a foot passenger ticket to ride the lift and take advantage of the 32 kilometers of trail in mountaintop McCoy Park.

For more information, call the Vail Mountain Information Center at (970) SKI-VAIL (754-8245) or the Beaver Creek Information Center at (970) 754-4636.