Differences between skiing in North America and Europe
What are the differences I see between skiing in North America and Europe? These differences are, of course subjective and I can hear your point of view, if you want to leave a note to the post!
There are pro and cons in both continents. I am lucky to have skied in both sides of the Ocean, plus a bit south in Argentina and Chile, to notice some differences. My view is my own, in accordance to my experience.
Another day of changing boots in the car. The boys with the Cervino on the background. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. Differences between skiing in North America and Europe
Here you go, in no special order:
Skiing in North America – The Pros. Differences between skiing in North America and Europe
Skiing in America is easy.
Easy to access usually by plane, or with a plane connection and transfer.
Resorts planners built resorts as resorts, so they are functional.
Grooming is great, state of the art.
Vail’s main street. Soft pastels and pastel pencils on pastel paper. 40x30cm. For sale in my shop. Differences between skiing in North America and Europe
Lift attendants are very attentive. They help you mounting and un-mounting lifts with kids.
North Americans are masters on getting the singles getting in chairs that are not full. This speeds up the uploading of lifts.
People are easy going, everyone salutes you and talk to you as if they knew you from before.
$75 Airfare Offering into Aspen; Book by Friday, Oct. 8
In Celebration of Aspen Snowmass’ 75th Anniversary Ski Season, $75 Airfares to/from Southern California to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport
Special this Winter, Also Book $75 Lift Tickets
This winter, Aspen Snowmass celebrates 75 years of skiing in Aspen. In conjunction with this occasion, airlines are offering special $75 airfares to/from Southern California to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. This unique deal features direct service from Los Angeles and Orange County into Aspen and is available now through Friday, Oct. 8.
Aspen Mountain with the Town of Aspen. Photo Dan Bayer- Aspen Snowmass. $75 Airfare Offering into Aspen; Book by Friday, Oct. 8.
“Our 75th anniversary is a historic milestone and we are thrilled that our airline partners have joined the celebration by matching $75 one-way airfare offerings,” says Kristi Kavanaugh Bradley, vice president of sales, at Aspen Snowmass. “With up to seven flights daily between Los Angeles and Aspen, during the winter season, it’s a great time for guests to take advantage of these specials.”
The 75th anniversary airfare offers round-trip flights into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport from carriers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines, with $75 one-way, or $150 roundtrip basic economy fares. Bookings are valid 21 days starting now through Feb. 28. Minimum stay requirements apply and vary based upon departure date. Inventory is limited to certain fare classes and will not be available on every flight. Restrictions may apply. This offer expires Friday, Oct. 8.
Vail Resorts announces indoor safety protocols for 2021-22 season
Vail Resorts today announced its Winter Operating Plan for the 2021-22 ski and ride season across its 34 North American resorts, centered on its commitment to safety and the guest experience. The protocols were shared in a letter to guests Monday, and focus on the spaces most prone to transmission – those located indoors.
Straight from the Newsroom of VailResorts.com
Young and Independents walk through the village to ski in Vail, CO. Photo: Craig Orsini. Vail Resorts. Vail Resorts announces indoor safety protocols for the 2021-22 season.
“We are fortunate that the core of our experience takes place outdoors in vast mountain settings,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “However, as we welcome guests from around the world to the indoor experience at our resorts, we feel it’s important to do our part to combat the spread of COVID-19. We all need the opportunity to enjoy and experience the great outdoors, and we could not be more excited to welcome guests back to our resorts for the 2021-22 ski and ride season.”
Aspen Snowmass Releases First-Ever Progress Report on Methane-to-Electricity Plant
Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) today released a report that tells the story of how ASC and its partners – Oxbow’s Elk Creek Mine, Holy Cross Energy, and Vessels Carbon Solutions – turned a coal mine in Somerset, Colorado into a clean-energy production facility. It also documents how much electricity has been generated since the project began, how much harmful methane has been destroyed, and how much revenue the project generates annually.
“We recognize global warming as an existential threat to our business,” said Matt Jones, ASC’s Chief Financial Officer, who worked with representatives of Oxbow to make this project happen. “We can’t stand by and wait for others to solve this crisis. We’re trying to do what we can to make a difference.”
The Must-Read Guide of Vail, Colorado- Where to Stay, how to ski the Mountain, Where to Eat and Drink.
Vail is one of the most renown ski resorts in the world. It was one of these resorts I always wanted to visit when I was young growing up in Argentina. Luck struck me and I was able to visit several times, and also worked for Vail Resorts long time ago now. International visitors always want to visit either Vail or Aspen. Those are the famous resorts they know. This made me then put together the Must-Read Guide to Vail to help you organise your trip to this grand resort!
This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.
Vail’s 10th Mountain Division skier. Photo: Vicky Galarraga. @vickydevail. The Must-Read Guide to Vail, Colorado.
The History of Vail
Ute Indians used to settle within this territory in the summer. They used to travel to the most arid lands on the west during winter. The Utes used to call the Gore Range that overlooked the valley the “Shinning Mountains”.
Came WWII and the United States created a training center called Camp Hale. Here the 10th Mountain Division trained for alpine combat. They went on to fight on the Mountains of Northern Italy. When they came back, they were the force to develop the ski industry in the USA.
One veteran of the 10th Mountain Division, Peter Seibert, came back to Colorado. He joined the Aspen Ski Patrol and Ski School. Then he went on to become the manager of Loveland Basin Ski Area. At that moment, Seibert and Earl Eaton start looking on developing a new ski resort in the Rockies.
Eaton was local to Colorado and started skiing when young. By 1940, he was ski racing in Aspen while working for the Civilian Conservation Corps in Glenwood. In 1957, he and Seibert climbed Vail Mountain in winter and realised of its potential as a ski area.
Friends Skiing Groomed Terrain in Vail, CO.. Photo: Daniel Milchev. Vail Resorts. The Must-Read Guide to Vail.
Vail Mountain Wooden Clock, painting by Martina Diez-Routh in soft pastels, pan pastels and pastel pencils on pastel paper 80x60cm unframed, on sale framed in a wooden light rustic wood frame. Actually exhibiting at the QC Terme hotel in Courmayeur Mont Blanc. See it in my shop here.
Great news as Aspen and Snowmass are opening for the Summer Season. Aspen Mountain will open on June 12, while Snowmass will do so on June 21. Camp Snowmass will open on June 15.
A family hiking under the Silver Queen Gondola in Aspen. Photo: Aspen Skiing Company. Aspen Snowmass is opening for the Summer Season.
Aspen is in my heart as I was lucky enough to live there for a while. Beautiful town, lovely people and amazing views. There is lots going on to keep you busy! This summer new policies and operating guidelines will be in place to protect guests. And also protect employees.
This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.
What will open in Aspen Snowmass for the summer
There will be opportunities of sightseeing, riding gondolas, hiking and mountain biking. Or you can ride the mountain coaster. You can choose to be as active or lazy as you want. By seating and staring at the mountains, you can forget about daily chores!
The Lost Forest mountain coaster. Aspen Snowmass is opening for the Summer Season.
On June 12, the Silver Queen gondola will start running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to go up Aspen Mountain. There you will have a chance to do some sightseeing, play disc golf or hike. You can take a nature program offered by the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. Or ride up the cablecar to take your kids to play at the children’s play area. Going up and down the gondola is a great day out, at least for my kids!
Some food and beverage services will be available, all with strict social distancing. The operations on Aspen Mountain will run daily till September 7 and then on weekends till October 4.
Mt Baldy, first American Ski Resort to open after COVID19, a social experiment?
This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.
I do hope that it works! Mt Baldy has just reopened operations, only for experienced skiers and boarders that have their own equipment. This is not the time to learn how to ski or board, not use the tubing park!
Maximum of four people will be able to check in every 10 minutes and they have to pre-arrange their time to arrival. Only season passes and one day lift tickets will be able to come. Cars need to be parked with three parking slots between them in the parking lot, if not they will be towed. There will not be so many customer relations personnel on ground, but some will be directing the parking. If people arrive prior to their time slot, they’ll need to stay put in their car until their time is due.
A chair lift ride at Mt Baldy. Mt Baldy, first American Ski Resort to open after COVID19, a social experiment?
The cafeteria will not be open on the top of the mountain, but some refreshments will be available at the bottom of Lift 3, Thunder Mountain.
The lifts in Mt Baldy are doubles, so they are asking people to ride the chairlifts on their own, and only ride with someone else if is living with you. Toilets will only be available at the base area and on the top of the mountain and being cleaned more than regularly. The resort is asking people to try to do their necessities prior to coming to the mountain. For me not having a toilet would be a problem, but if there are forests around, that would suffice! (at least for number 1!)
Arapahoe Basin Cam. Arapahoe Basin is now part of the IKON Pass.
I guess it is difficult to be an independent resort in the current climate of concentration of the ski market in the US, so now A Basin will be part of the competitor of the Epic Pass – the IKON Pass. The IKON Pass can be used in 40 global ski destinations, including six in Colorado, now with A Basin:
Aspen Snowmass, Steamboat, Winter Park Resort, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, and Eldora Mountain Resort.
Vail Resorts to Acquire Peak Resorts, Owner Of 17 U.S. Ski Areas
Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Peak Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKIS) at a purchase price of $11.00 per share, subject to certain conditions, including regulatory review and Peak Resorts’ shareholder approval.
Liberty Mountain. Photo: Peak Resorts. Vail Resorts to Acquire Peak Resorts, Owner Of 17 U.S. Ski Areas
Through the acquisition, Vail Resorts will add 17 U.S. ski areas to its network of world-class resorts. Located near major metropolitan areas, including New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Columbus, St. Louis, Kansas City and Louisville, the resorts include:
Mount Snow in Vermont
Hunter Mountain in New York
Attitash Mountain Resort, Wildcat Mountain and Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire
Liberty Mountain Resort, Roundtop Mountain Resort, Whitetail Resort, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania
Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River Mountain in Ohio
The EagleVail chairlift to Beaver Creek was not accepted by the Forest Service.
A chairlift has been discussed since the 60’s in EagleVail.
From Vail Daily and Aspen Times
The Forest Service and Vail Resorts have cited wildlife impacts to deny building a chairlift connecting EagleVail to Beaver Creek.
Aaron Mayville, district ranger for the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District has written to Steve Barber, EagleVail Metro District Manager that “a chairlift from EagleVail, across National Forest and into Beaver Creek is not possible right now.”
And Vail Resorts Executive Vice President, Mountain Division has also written to Barber stating that “we are not interested in discussions regarding a lift from EagleVail to Beaver Creek at this point.”
EagleVail golf putting green photo. Chris Dillmann. Vail Daily. The EagleVail chairlift to Beaver Creek was not accepted by the Forest Service.
The officials of EagleVail were interested in a lift as EagleVail residents also were, as it helps increasing property values as a boon for homeowners and a catalyst for renewal.
Vail Resorts owns and operates Beaver Creek Resort.
David Warner, VP of EagleVail Metro District board and longtime proponent of the lift said: “It’s definitely a setback; these were not good letters.”
A lift of U$D 5.2 million
The lift was envisioned to stretch from the current location of the driving range of the EagleVail Golf Club up to Allie’s Cabin or Rose Bowl.
The proponents believe they had been backed up by Vail Resorts about this lift idea in 2016. A chairlift has been discussed in EagleVail since its inception in the ‘60s.
Even before Beaver Creek was built, there was a plan considered to connect EagleVail with the old Meadow Mountain Ski Area.
Warner said he received a bid for U$D 5.2 million from a lift company to build a 11,250-foot-long lift from the driving range to Rose Bowl. People favouring this envisioned asking voters to get an additional sales tax or using revenue from the tax passed in 2018 to finance the construction and operation of the lift.
The proposed EagleVail lift alignment. The EagleVail chairlift to Beaver Creek was not accepted by the Forest Service.
The Property Owners Association board’s members came to a Metro District meeting in April asking the Metro Board for its blessing to conduct a U$D 15,000 study that would examine if there were ‘fatal flaws’ in the lift plan.
But then the Members of the Metro District suggested to just reach out to the Forest Service and Vail Resorts to see if they support the concept, and the answer was a resounding “no.”
Protection of wildlife, mainly the elk herd.
Mayville wrote in the May 4 email that ‘the entire hillside above EagleVail is an ‘elk refuge’ of sorts – when Beaver Creek was built, (a memorandum of understanding) was signed between the Forest Service, Division of Wildlife, Vail Associates, and others to set aside the area for the protection of wildlife (mainly the elk herd).”
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