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VAIL SUMMER 2008 OVERVIEW

GET YOUR GAME ON: ACTIVE ADVENTURES
Teva Mountain Games (June 5-8)

• The seventh annual Teva Mountain Games® will host the first World Cup Climbing event on United States’ soil in close to twenty years, June 5-8, 2008 in Vail, Colorado.
• Professional and amateur outdoor adventure athletes from across the nation and around the world will converge upon the mountains and rivers of Vail to compete in eight sports and ten disciplines including: freestyle and extreme kayaking, paragliding, fly fishing one-fly and skills comp, diving dogs, kayak and raft paddlecross, bouldering, speed and dyno climbing, mountain bike freeride, big air, cross country, and road racing, as well as trail running, and the GNC Ultimate Mountain Challenge.
• In addition to the athletic events, the Teva Mountain Games will include a mountain photography competition, an interactive exhibition and demo area, live music, and mountain lifestyle parties.

2008 Colorado Stage International Cycle Classic (August 22-24)
Professional cycling returns to the Rocky Mountains with the 2008 Colorado Stage International Cycle Classic, taking place August 22-24 in and around the Vail Valley. National and international level Pro-Tour, Pro-Continental and Continental teams will go head-to-head in this UCI 2.1 certified competition.

• Stage 1: Road Race--Friday, August 22
  A challenging 135-mile ride that includes three mountain passes and 11,000 feet of vertical gain. The race to the finish is a lung-searing 3-mile uphill sprint to Beaver Creek Village.
• Stage 2: Circuit Race--Saturday, August 23
  Starting in the heart of Vail Village, the Circuit Race is an exciting event and the most spectator-friendly as riders complete several laps of an eight-mile loop in and around the Town of Vail.
• Stage 3: Time Trial--Sunday, August 24
  Cyclists begin in Vail and sprint half-way up Vail Pass on this grueling course made legendary during the days of the Coors Classic. Athletes cover 10 miles and 1,500 feet of elevation gain in this uphill race against the clock.

Rounding out the cycling action will be sports expos, live music and other festivities for bike enthusiasts.
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Vail Recreation District

• La Sportiva Vail Mountain Trail Running Series and other VRD running events will see upward of 1,900 runners participating in series events this summer.  The Vail Hillclimb won Colorado Runner’s “best trail running race” in 2006, and in 2005 the VRD won best race series.
• The Vail and Beaver Creek Mountain Bike Race Series will see more than 1,200 racers participating in the 6 race series.
• The Vail Lacrosse Shootout sees upward of 1500 players and thousands of spectators each summer in Vail.
• KickIt 3v3 Soccer Rocky Mountain Regional Championships see more than 400 teams, 2,400+ players and over 4,000 spectators descend upon Vail each summer. 
• VRD Youth Services summer camps (Camp Vail, Camp EcoFun, PreKamp Vail and Extreme Camp Vail) host nearly 6,000 kids each summer.
• The Imagination Station is Vail’s only children’s “inter-active” museum, offering hands on exhibits where kids play while they learn and learn while they play.
• Dobson Ice Arena, the largest ice rink in region, doubles as 3,000 person concert venue for Vail, hosting such world-class acts as Peter Frampton, Charlie Daniels, Sarah McLachlan, Ziggy Marley, and numerous others.
• Vail Gymnastics Center nurtures Vail’s tumbling talent, but also doubles as a trampoline and foam pit extreme-sports training ground where athletes can practice their tricks with safety in mind, then take those skills out on the mountain with confidence.
• Vail Tennis Center at Ford Park boasts 8 of the finest clay courts in the region, hosting numerous programs and an annual USTA-sanctioned tournament.
• By the time they reach 3rd grade, every child in Eagle County Schools has toured the Vail Nature Center, housed in a late-1800 homestead cabin.

VAIL’S SUMMER PROMOTIONS OFFER VACATION VALUES AND VARIETY TO SUMMER GUESTS

• SPA’D at Vail – Perfect for a Mother’s Day or girlfriend getaway. From May 10 - June 15, the SPA’D at Vail package offers a health and wellness weekend getaway that includes lodging, spa treatments, fine dining and yoga.
  • Package includes two nights lodging, a spa treatment, dinner and a yoga or Pilates class. Incremental spa treatments and classes will be offered at a discounted rate.
• Vail at $81.50 – THE POPULAR VAIL AT $81.50 PROMOTION RETURNS FOR THIRD SUMMER. Eat, Stay or Play in Vail for $81.50 at award winning restaurants, lodging properties and memorable mountain activities.
  • The Vail at $81.50 promotion is intended to entice guests to escape the summer heat and head to Vail to capitalize on a variety of amazing deals, all tied into enjoying Vail’s 8,150 foot altitude, at a price of $81.50.
  • Valid between August 15 and September 1, 2008 Vail at $81.50 is a great place, a great price, and a great time to squeeze in one last family adventure or romantic couples’ escape.

CULTURE COMES EASY IN VAIL
Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival (June 25 – August 2)
After a knockout 20th Anniversary Season, the Bravo Festival forges ahead at full speed for 2008.  Featuring two of the world’s greatest orchestras – the New York Philharmonic and The Philadelphia Orchestra – as well as over 50 internationally acclaimed soloists and chamber musicians, the Festival reaches over 60,000 people in its six remarkable weeks in the Vail Valley.  In 2008 you can look forward to:

• The Philadelphia Orchestra’s return to the Vail Valley for its 2nd year;
  Conductors:  Christopher Seaman, Charles Dutoit, Rossen Milanov, Lorin Maazel, Alan Gilbert and Bramwell Tovey
• An opening night concert with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra
  World renowned pianist Lang Lang performing with the New York Philharmonic
• A special Cabaret evening at the Vilar Performing Arts Center featuring cabaret sensation Andrea Marcovicci
• A concert version of La Boheme with The Philadelphia Orchestra and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Chorus
• Opening Night of the New York Philharmonic’s Sixth Anniversary at the Festival on July 18
• An evening of Broadway Pops with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra on July 3
• A Festival commission of a tremendously inventive and theatrical piece by composer Ricky Ian Gordon on July 15 at the Vilar Performing Arts Center

Vail Jazz Festival (June 25- Sept. 1)
The Vail Jazz Foundation has a sizzling summer lineup of  events, which brings live jazz music to Vail venues ranging from the Farmers’ Market to the Arrabelle at Vail  Square,  and finishes with the traditional ‘Labor Day Weekend Jazz Party’ at Vail Cascade.

• The Vail Jazz Festival kicks off its 14th season with Byron Stripling and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, performing at the Ford Amphitheater on June 25, a joint presentation with Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
• On July 31, the 'Jazz at Vail Square' free concert series debuts with Curtis Stigers, and continues on consecutive Thursday nights throughout August, featuring Trombone Shorty and Avenue Orleans, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, and finishing with the Clayton Brothers Quintet to open the Labor Day Weekend Party on August 28.
• Featuring the best jazz musicians from around the country and the world, the Labor Day Weekend Party, hosted at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, offers jazz lovers an intimate, cabaret style format in which to enjoy many styles of jazz music.  The Party provides groups ranging from Hendrik Merukins Samba Jazz Quintet, to the Jimmy Bruno Trio and the Clayton Brothers Quintet, and soloists including Jimmy Bruno and Benny Green, Joel Frahm and “Papadon” Washington, and more.

Vail International Dance Festival (July 27 – August 10)

• New York City Ballet star Damian Woetzel promises another banner year for Dance in the Rocky Mountains. 
• 2008 VIDF will feature the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Compnay, Dance for $20.08, Ballroom in the Streets, Ballroom’s Best, a selection of some of the world’s best dancers in the International Evenings of Dance and the return of Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, whose premier in 2007 was one of the most talked about events in dance.
• The innovative Celebrate the Beat outreach program will continue in 2008.  An educational outreach component to the festival, Celebrate the Beat brings dance into the lives of area children who may have never seen a formal performance, never mind participated in one!  Using live music and simple movement, these kids learn discipline while learning about dance, music and choreography while building self-esteem and developing creativity.