An hour and a half drive put me in the heart of Vail, where I joined my aunt's cousins, the Dorfners, in a night of card games, booze, and "Aunt Pam's" chocolate pretzels. The Dorfners are a fun clan that immediately took me in as their own. They are the type of genuine and good-hearted people that could only come from one place: Pittsburgh.
Despite staying up too late the night before, we were up early Wednesday, eager to hit the slopes. It was my first time skiing Vail, and I was not disappointed. We were blessed with ideal conditions: bluebird skies, temperatures in the 40s, and no lines. The slopes were mostly groomed, which was fine for us East Coast skiers.
For me, the most attractive aspect of the mountain is the terrain. The enormous front side of the mountain funnels down into the European-inspired town. The back side, however, extends into a series of peaks and bowls--inspiring a feeling of being surrounded by wilderness and mountains, far removed from town. It's big, but not overwhelmingly so.
Despite the size of our group and the myriad of ages, I was glad that the Dorfners and I were all able to ski together. We spent the morning in Blue Sky Basin, a large area on the back side of the mountain. It took almost half an hour to navigate there via a series of lifts, gondolas, and trails. My favorite slope was Grand Review--a long, tree-lined trail that I could have skied over and over again.
After lunch, we skied the front side of the mountain. Simba and Avanti were crowd favorites.
We put in a full day of skiing (9am-3:30pm), tracking over 30 miles per my cousin Leanna's phone app. I felt satisfied to have skied hard, arguably the best I have in years. I was initially uncertain how I would feel about skiing Vail, but I have since concluded that it might be my new favorite mountain.
I was greetily tempted to stay the rest of the week with the Dorfners, but I had to return to life and work in Denver. Driving back at dusk, surrounded by the silhouettes of the mountains, left me with only one thought: how much it will break my heart to leave Colorado.
