International Media
Winter 2007-2008
Dear International Media Partner,
Welcome to the Vail Resorts Media Guide! Within this site you will find information describing the unparalleled winter vacation experiences our world-class resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly in California and Nevada. From facts and figures to signature events to new resort improvements, these guides will inform and excite you and your audiences for the 2007-2008 ski and snowboard season. If you need more information or photography, please contact us or one of our in-market representatives who are a valuable resource to provide you with answers in a very timely manner.
To tempt you to explore further, here's a sneak peek of what's new at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly.
Vail
There’s no comparison.
With 5,289 acres (2,140 hec) of diverse terrain, Vail is the largest ski mountain in the United States, featuring seven legendary bowls spanning six full miles (9.7 km). Over 1,500 acres (607 hec) of corduroy means the most groomed terrain on the planet. With a yearly average of 348 inches (8.8 m) of snowfall and 300 days of sunshine, Vail will change your idea of a good time, permanently. And, there’s nothing like Vail Village for world-class dining, shopping, galleries, après ski, nightlife and spa services, all just steps from accommodations.
Vail Mountain remains one of the most celebrated and visited ski resorts in the United States. Vail’s 45th season begins November 16, 2007 and skiers and snowboarders will benefit from two new high-speed quad chairlifts, as well as a number of community enhancements. The resort has replaced the Highline Lift (Chair 10) and Sourdough Lift (Chair 14) with new high speed quad chairlifts to expedite the trip to Two Elk Restaurant, China Bowl and Blue Sky Basin.
Guests will also see significant improvements across the Town of Vail, including the new ultra-luxury Arrabelle at Vail Square in LionsHead Village at the base of Vail's Eagle Bahn gondola. This new premier property will offer a unique hotel experience that combines Old World charm and the timeless elegance of Europe’s grand resorts with the romance and world-class style of Vail’s alpine heritage. The Arrabelle will feature 36 luxury hotel rooms and up to 50 additional condominiums that are based on the Biedermeier design style, an early 19th century German architecture movement that evokes simplicity, elegance and functionality. Additionally, the resort will boast a traditional Germanic Glockenspiel that will feature a celebration of snow. Amenities include a 10,000-square-foot (929-square-meter) full-service RockResorts SpaTM and signature dining at Centre V, a French-brasserie inspired mountainside restaurant. New skier service facilities, including children’s ski school, ski rentals, ski storage and the resort information center, will be located in the Arrabelle. For more information, visit www.arrabelle.com.
Vail is a member of Leading Mountain Resorts of the World, a global organization with a partnership of diverse, highly rated mountain resorts located around the globe. Members include: Queenstown, New Zealand, Bariloche in Patagonia, South America, Vail, Colorado in North America and Val Gardena of the Italian Dolomites in Europe. Each resort is recognized as offering fantastic year-round holiday experiences. We invite you to learn more about the organization and the partnering resorts at http://www.leadingmountainresorts.com/.
Beaver Creek
Not exactly roughing it.
Reminiscent of a secluded European alpine village, Beaver Creek combines the polish and refinement of a five-star resort with a relaxed, family atmosphere. The resort's village-to-village ski and snowboard experience is complemented by a mountain-top snowshoe and cross country ski park, world-class spas, a year-round outdoor ice rink, sleigh ride dinners, family programs and more.
Beaver Creek is famous for pampering its guests from start to finish and lives up to the motto “not exactly roughing it.” The National Ski Area Association has awarded Beaver Creek the elite distinction of Best Overall Customer Service Program for two consecutive years. Over 200 paid and volunteer mountain hosts provide a seamless vacation experience for families by greeting skiers upon arrival, carrying equipment, distributing grooming maps and snow reports, leading free Mountain Welcome Tours and offering tailored assistance on and off the slopes. After each day on the mountain, Cookie Time chefs treat guests to freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
New for Beaver Creek’s 27th season, the world’s premier children’s ski and snowboard school experience gets better with the new eight-passenger Buckaroo Express Gondola, a short gondola ride designed with the resort’s smallest customers in mind. With a ride time of just 3.75 minutes, the Buckaroo gives kids (and grownups) a warm and comfortable ride to beginner learning terrain. Even adults will agree that more time sliding on snow equals more fun. The Buckaroo replaces the Haymeadow Lift (#1).
Beaver Creek has also expanded activities for family with new programs and events. The fun at Beaver Creek continues after the lifts close with a new disco ice skating party and storytelling and s’mores around Beaver Creek Village’s new outdoor fire pits. Glowstick ski-downs, rail jams, fireworks displays, kids’ tubing and figure skating shows round out an exciting line-up of complimentary activities offered nightly throughout the winter. Hungry for more? Sleigh ride dinners, family cultural performances, world-class spas, a teen video arcade and year-round outdoor ice skating deliver added excitement. And don’t miss the ultimate kids’ extravaganza from Cookie Magazine and Beaver Creek; tune in for children’s concerts, special activities and much more during the new Cookie Kids Fest, March 13-15, 2008. On the mountain, take a family ski or snowboard lesson and document the fun with a personal video to take home or tackle 13 of the mountain’s most challenging runs in one day with the Talons Challenge.
Breckenridge
The perfect mountain town.
Who doesn't love Breckenridge? Rising high above "the perfect mountain town," Breckenridge Ski Resort was rated by the BBC as one of the world's top five winter resort destinations in October 2006. With a family-friendly atmosphere, world-class races and events, expansive terrain parks and one of the nation's top Ski Schools, Breckenridge has it all.
Building on the momentum of the last two seasons generated from the new BreckConnect gondola and Imperial Express, North America’s highest chairlift at 12,840 feet (3,914 m), Breckenridge is moving toward a new era. During the 2006-2007 season, the resort set a new skier visit record and became the most popular resort in North America.
Breckenridge is known for having the best terrain parks and pipes in the world. This year Breckenridge has designed a multi-level park pod that will feature a beginner park and pipe, an intermediate park, as well as the famed expert superpark and pipe on Freeway. The resort has committed to adding a snowmaking system on Peak 8’s Park Lane, which sits next to Freeway Park, and to turning the entire 3,500-foot (1,067 m) long run into a mid sized, intermediate park. With parks and pipes for all three levels in one place, skiers and snowboarders can develop from beginner park riders to pros.
At Breckenridge, we want to turn kids into lifelong snowlovers. This year, the resort is launching Mountains of Discovery, which turns children’s ski school into an adventure by using the entire mountain for class. The conventional method uses a specific lesson plan that is taught in a designated teaching area, not allowing for too much discovery beyond the fence. Instructors get the kids out of the ski school yard and teach the fundamentals on different areas of the resort while building a love for the sport.
Breckenridge also recently announced development of new luxury ski-in/ski-out accommodations called One Ski Hill Place. Scheduled to open winter 2009-2010, One Ski Hill Place will be ideally located at the base of Breckenridge's Peak 8, just steps from four chairlifts for easy access to Peaks 7, 8, 9 & 10 and to the charming Town of Breckenridge via the new seasonal BreckConnect Gondola.
One Ski Hill Place will be the centerpiece of the new Breckenridge Peaks, a lively village offering a variety of lodging, dining and entertainment options. The Breckenridge Peaks' proposed amenities include a sunny slopeside skiers' plaza, skier restaurant, après-ski bar, owner’s ski lounge, 5,000-square-foot (465-square-meter) conference center and heated underground parking. Also proposed are two movie lounges, a game room, a fitness center with sports massage rooms, steam room and a sauna and an aquatics center with two swimming pools, indoor hot tub, outdoor hot tub and outdoor fireplace. Learn more at http://oneskihill.rockresorts.com/index.asp.
Keystone
Bigger. Bolder. Keystone.
A transformation began at Keystone four years ago and the improvements are not over yet. The resort continues to evolve and develop its new look and feel this season. Keystone has a new chief operating officer, a new state-of-the-art RockResorts SpaTM at The Keystone Lodge & Spa and a new master plan in the works that features redevelopment of the resort's original base area. Call it an “extreme makeover.” Patricia Campbell, Keystone’s new COO, and her team refer to it as the "Bigger, Bolder Keystone."
With a focus on “wow-ing” the guest, Keystone drew increased skier visits last season and impressed the industry with top rankings for its A51 terrain park, restaurants, golf courses and conference center. See for yourself – check out the new snowcat-accessed Independence Bowl, innovative terrain park rails, renovated ski and snowboard school facilities, new on-mountain kids’ areas and the Keystone classics: the top-rated mountaintop Alpenglow Stube restaurant, the famous holiday chocolate village, sunset skiing/riding and world-class groomed trails.
Keystone continues to "wow" guests with the high adventure of its in-bounds “backcountry-type” terrain with more than 1,000 acres (405 hec) of trees, chutes, bowls, ridges and powder in Bergman and Erickson bowls, as well as the newly-added Independence Bowl. Located miles away from any condo, road or chairlift, guests can hike 30-45 minutes or take the Keystone Adventure Tour (KAT) guided snowcat program for transportation to the top of the world.
Keystone’s KAT program started three years ago and was so successful that the resort added about 300 acres (121 hec) of steeper terrain in Independence Bowl last year. Highly trained guides provide avalanche beacons and years of experience to ensure you find the best powder and steeps. This year Keystone is taking the KAT experience to a whole new level with a new yurt in Independence Bowl and a catered gourmet lunch program. It’s high luxury with high adventure. The full-day guided KAT program is for expert skiers and riders only and depending on the group size and ability-level, can provide anywhere from seven to ten runs. Bring a camera and your sense of adventure.
Check out Keystone’s other “can’t miss” adventures such as snowbiking tours, full-moon snowshoe events and the resort’s quirky early-season 36-hour ski and snowboard event (Nov. 30 – Dec. 1, 2007). For more information, visit www.keystoneresort.com.
Heavenly
When you're up for everything.
Heavenly Mountain Resort once again received honors for being the top winter sports destination at Lake Tahoe and the highest-rated ski area in California by readers of SKI Magazine. Straddling the states of California and Nevada across 4,800 acres (1,942 hec) of diverse terrain, Heavenly is famous for unparalleled scenic beauty and world-class nightlife.
Heavenly’s accessible, breath-taking location attracts destination visitors from across the globe and is particularly popular among travelers and school groups from the United Kingdom. In addition to its close proximity to San Francisco, the resort is two hours or less from two international airports.
Once at the resort, the Heavenly Village offers thousands of hotel rooms and condominiums within walking distance of the Heavenly Gondola, dozens of bars and restaurants and six Las Vegas-style casinos.
New for the 2007-2008 season, Heavenly unveils Olympic Express, a new high-speed quad chairlift on the Nevada side of the mountain that replaces the original Olympic chair. The new lift will provide high-speed access to Nevada Woods, home to some of the best tree skiing on the planet. The majestic red firs in this area create a truly euphoric ambiance. The natural beauty and exhilarating ski experience offered by Nevada Woods can't be matched.
Also new for 2007-2008, Heavenly unveils three new ski trails off Olympic Express, one new trail off of Dipper Express and the Heavenly Sky Flyer. Measuring 3,100 feet (945 m), the Heavenly Sky Flyer is the longest zip line in the lower 48 states. Guests will achieve speeds of up to 50 mph (80 kph) as they zoom along the treetops.
The next phase of Heavenly's massive redevelopment is underway with construction of the Chateau at Heavenly Village, A RockResort. Scheduled to open in December 2009, the Chateau at Heavenly Village will feature two six-story luxury condominium-hotels with 477 deluxe guest rooms, a 16,000-square-foot (1,486-square-meter) RockResorts SpaTM, 71,000-square-foot (6,595-square-meter) convention center and a charming, 1.5-acre (0.6 hec) park and plaza with a network of beautifully landscaped pedestrian paths, a walkway to a semi-private beach, a pond, waterfall, fire pits, and a variety of retail shops, boutiques, restaurants and cafés. Learn more about the Chateau at http://chateauatheavenly.rockresorts.com/index.asp.
Whew! With so much excitement at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly, you may just have to come visit us to experience for yourself why our resorts are once again ranked among the very best in the world. We look forward to seeing you this winter.
With warm regards,
Kristen Petitt
International Communications Manager
kpetitt@vailresorts.com
970-496-1493
