Film Friendly Resorts
Shooting on Location at Our Ski Resorts
Our five ski resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly in California/Nevada offer some of the most spectacular alpine mountain backdrops in North America for your film or TV project.
Vail
Founded in 1962, Vail Ski Resort and its surrounding community have matured into a world-renowned destination resort. Evolving from a logging community prior to its development by 10th Mountain Division soldier and pioneer, Pete Seibert and his friend, Earl Eaton, Vail now typifies a Tyrolean village with signature landmarks such as the Covered Bridge and the Clock Tower. Creative storefronts including restaurants, bars and boutiques line Bridge Street (framed by the Covered Bridge to the north) in Vail Village. The Town of Vail is home to numerous outdoor parks, water features, statues, artwork and more. As the largest single ski resort in the United States with 5,289 acres, Vail offers distinctly different terrain and vistas spread 7 miles across the front side, the legendary Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin. Magnificent backdrops, including the 14,000-foot Mount of the Holy Cross and the Gore, Sawatch and New York mountain ranges surround the resort. Locals are known for their legendary tales and are open to sharing insider's tips on the best ways to ski and ride the mountain. The welcoming community takes everything in stride and is proud to share its amenities.
Beaver Creek
Offering an adventure in luxury and personalized service, Beaver Creek Resort was once again awarded the Best Overall Customer Service Program award from the National Ski Area Association. Beaver Creek is reminiscent of a secluded European alpine village and combines the polish and refinement of a five-star resort with a relaxed, family atmosphere. A year-round outdoor ice rink lays at the heart of a pedestrian-only village complete with heated walkways and covered escalators. The resort’s village-to-village ski and snowboard experience allows guests to cruise 1,625 acres of terrain from Beaver Creek Village to Bachelor Gulch Village to Arrowhead Village. Snowshoers and cross-country skiers are treated to spectacular views of the Gore and New York mountain ranges while exploring 32k of trails in McCoy Park, located on top of the mountain. The unique 530-seat Vilar Center for the Arts boasts world-class performances in the village while Trapper’s Cabin provides an exclusive retreat complete with a private chef on the mountain. In addition, Beaver Creek offers sleigh-ride dinners, fine dining, three spa facilities, luxurious accommodations, shopping at high-end art galleries and boutiques, and much more.
Breckenridge
Breckenridge is the perfect mountain town. Founded in 1859, Breckenridge is the largest historic district in Colorado, featuring many restored original buildings with period furnishings, an authentic Main Street with brightly painted storefronts, restaurants and bars, all with a Victorian feel. The area also boasts a rich mining history and offers several distinct and easily accessible locations for mining shots. On the flip side, Breck is known for its vibrant nightlife - arguably one of the best nighttime experiences in ski country - offering over 140 restaurants, bars and nightclubs within walking distance (or a free shuttle ride) of a majority of the resort’s lodging. One of Breckenridge's restaurants/bars, the Gold Pan, is the oldest continually operating bar west of the Mississippi River. Breckenridge is also home to many characters who helped to shape the town's direction, providing an excellent pool for extras. In addition, the area boasts an outdoor ice skating pond, concerts and live performances, and ‘real town’ atmosphere, vibe and charm.
Part of the famed Ten Mile Range, the scenery of both mountain and valley is spectacular and provides excellent opportunities for wide shots, as well as a tighter focus. By day, the mountain offers 146 trails covering 2,208 acres of powder, bumps, glades, rollers, steeps, terrain parks and cruisers. Breckenridge Ski Resort features four huge peaks, four terrain parks, four half-pipes, two high-speed, six-passenger SuperChairs, a top-notch Ski & Ride School, unique hiking terrain, expansive grooming, excellent learning terrain, and exciting events. The mountain is user-friendly and the staff is easy-going, helpful and knows the ins and outs of both mountain and town.
Keystone Resort
Imagine standing at 11,640 feet atop Keystone’s Dercum Mountain - to the west, you take in views of Lake Dillon, Buffalo Mountain and the Gore Range; to the south, Gray’s and Torrey’s craggy 14,000-foot peaks; to the southwest, Breckenridge Ski Resort's web of snow-covered trails. Keystone is home to one of the most scenic spots in the Colorado Rockies.
With three mountains, two golf courses, an alpine village, one of the largest conference centers in the Rockies, a five-acre lake (ice skating in the winter, paddle boating and kayaking in the summer), world-class downhill mountain biking and the Snake River winding through it all, Keystone is a perfect backdrop.
Heavenly Mountain Resort
Located on the edge of Lake Tahoe, North America's most pristine and iconic alpine lake, Heavenly offers a breathtaking setting any time of year. The resort straddles the California/Nevada state line and boasts the best of all worlds with a unique blend of scenery, excellent weather, world-class outdoor activity and non-stop entertainment. Perfectly blending sunny California days with wild Nevada nights, the region boasts more than 200 bars, restaurants and nightclubs and six world-class casinos.
Accessibility
Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado are easily accessible by two airports through all major airlines. Vail also offers a full-service private jet center.
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From Denver International Airport (DEN), it's a straight 104-mile shot on Colorado's major east-west interstate, I-70, to Breckenridge and Keystone and 120 miles to Vail and Beaver Creek. DEN offers more than 700 flights daily from most major airports in the U.S. and non-stop service from London, Frankfurt, Mexico City and several major cities in Canada.
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The Vail/ Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) offers swift, convenient nonstop daily flights that land guests just 30 miles from North America's favorite ski runs. Skiers and riders also can book air from 13 major cities directly into the Vail/ Eagle County Regional Airport on American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways. Connections exist from virtually any departure city in North America. Markets serviced include Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
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The Vail Valley Jet Center is located at the Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) and offers personalized service for pilots, as well as passengers. In addition, visitors will find all of the services needed to prepare their private aircraft, including over 110,000 square feet of heated hangar space, 15,000 acres of ramp space, deicing, aircraft detailing, catering and more. For more information, visit
www.vailvalleyjetcenter.com or call (970) 524-7700.
Heavenly at Lake Tahoe is one of the most accessible winter destinations in the U.S. The Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO) offers more than 120 non-stop and direct flights daily with numerous connecting flights through virtually every city in the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Vail Resorts has relationships with several ground transportation services to and from the airports, and can help you arrange discounted vehicle rental or shuttle transport.
Weather
Colorado boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year and more than 300 inches of total snowfall at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone each winter. The resorts open in mid-November and close in mid- to late April. The climate is quite dry, with less than 33 percent humidity and the mountains typically receive their first snowfall in September at 9,000 feet above sea level and higher. Average temperatures range from the 30s to 40s during the day and in the teens and 20s at night during the winter months. Summer days in Colorado's Rocky Mountains are warm and dry, with temperatures averaging in the 70s. Nights are cool, with temperatures dropping into the 40s, and the stars are plenty.
Heavenly received over 30 feet of snowfall during the 2005-2006 season and averages over 300 days of sunshine each year. The climate at Lake Tahoe is dry and temperatures are often cool at elevations ranging from 6,200 to 10,100 feet. Winter temperatures range from the mid-20s to low 40s. While summers heat up, temperatures do remain comfortable - 45 degrees at night to the mid-70s during the day.
Accommodations
Each of our five resorts offers a variety of lodging types, from intimate historic inns to luxury resort hotels to spacious condominiums and homes. Condominiums and homes for short-term rental are all fully furnished and most properties offer high-speed Internet access. Vail Resorts owns a number of hotels at each of four resorts in Colorado and manages numerous condominium properties.
On-Mountain Support
For shooting or filming on the mountain in winter or summer, all crews must be accompanied by a member of the Vail Resorts PR team or a designated operations employee. We highly recommend that crews shooting on-mountain during the winter be able and prepared to ski or snowboard at a solid intermediate level as use of snowmobiles and snowcats are very limited on our slopes.
Technical Support
We regularly work with several local production and post-production facilities in Colorado and Lake Tahoe and can recommend several options. There are numerous other resources in the large metro areas close to our resorts. All five of our mountain resorts offer ISDN lines at strategic locations at the bases of our mountains.
In Colorado, we are a member of the Colorado Film Commission and work closely with the organization to identifytechnical support companies, talent agencies, hair and makeup artists and other resources. We encourage you to visit their website at www.coloradofilm.org.
Insurance Requirements
We require that all broadcast news and commercial filming companies carry a minimum amount of insurance - $1 million in occurrence and $2 million in aggregate - for any on-mountain shoot. Both Vail Resorts, Inc. and the U.S. Forest Service must be named on the certificate of liability. Shoots that involve higher-risk stunts and athletes will require higher levels of insurance. In addition, every member of the crew who accesses the mountain will need to sign Vail Resorts' liability release form.
Permits
Vail Resorts can help facilitate permits for filming in the towns of Vail, Breckenridge and Heavenly. Typically these permits are free of charge, but must be obtained at least two weeks in advance. Vail Resorts requires that a Film Agreement be signed with the Company for shooting or photographing at all of its resorts.
For shooting video or photography on the mountain, applicants must also fill out a permit with the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service charges $150 per day for filming or photographing for commercial purposes on National Forest land on which our Company operates our mountain resorts.
Fees & Incentives
Fees can vary, depending on the scope of the project, the resources involved and the extent to which the resort is identified in and acknowledged by the project. In many cases, fees may be waived entirely. Through its ownership of a number of lodging properties, restaurants, retail and other facilities at each resort, Vail Resorts can offer an attractive incentive package to potential production companies and filmmakers.
Contacts
For more information about filming at one of our resorts, please contact:
Kelly Ladyga, Director of Corporate Communications, (303) 404-1862 or kladyga@vailresorts.com
Kelly Burgdorf Lombard, Corporate Communications Manager, (303) 404-1863 or kburgdorf@vailresorts.com
Recent TV, Film and Commercial Projects
