Vail Mountain opens for 2023-24 ski season with a few new features
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily archive
Skiers and snowboarders approaching Gondola One during Vail Mountain’s Opening Day celebration on Friday might have noticed the ticket scanners standing farther out in the streets than normal.
The move was done, in part, to help everyone verify their new smartphone ski pass was working. Minimal problems were reported as the new technology was rolled out in Vail on Friday for the start of the mountain’s 62nd season.
By 8:30 a.m. a small line had formed at Gondola One, but crews were able to begin uploading skiers about 20 minutes earlier than expected, and by 9 a.m. there was no wait to load the lift.
The ski area opened with an 18-inch mid-mountain base and the Ramshorn and Swingsville runs available from Chair 4. Both of the Ramshorn access points were open and groomed, with the Powerline side of the run offering a less-traveled option.
Skiers found good snow conditions as Vail Mountain has already recorded 30 inches of snow this season, with several cold snaps allowing for ample amounts of man-made snow to be blown onto the runs. But there were also several warm weather events in recent weeks, and Friday’s mid-mountain, 18-inch base was a testament to the mountain’s ability to hold snow on its high-elevation, north-facing slopes. Vail’s Nov. 10 opening this year was the earliest since 1998, when the mountain opened on Nov. 9.
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The Ramshorn and Swingsville runs, lined with snowmaking canons, face north, and on those runs skiers found sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
Guests took laps on Chair 4 before downloading Gondola One back to Vail Village to conclude the ski day. Neither the upload or download line at Gondola One saw long queues on the day, and Chair 4 had a roughly 10-minute wait during its busiest moments.
100-day pin
Vail Resorts’ new My Epic app, with its option allowing skiers to forgo a plastic pass for a low-energy Bluetooth signal, is one of several new features skiers and snowboarders will have access to this season.
The My Epic app marks the official end of Vail’s former app, Epic Mix, which offered digital badges to people who reached certain milestones, like skiing 100 days in a season.
This year, with those digital badges no longer available, Vail Resorts will offer an in-real-life version of the same thing, making milestone pins available to those who ski 25, 50 or 100 days, along with pins for those who ski on their birthday.
John Plack, the senior communications manager for Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Resort, said after issuing five different pins last year in honor of the mountain’s 60th anniversary in December, the company wanted to bring back a variety of pins this season, as well.
“We learned last year that people went absolutely nuts for any pin that they could get their hands on,” he said.
Another success from Vail Mountain’s 60th anniversary season last year which will be carried over to this season is the “Vail Mail” postcard system. Guests who write a postcard from the mountain’s Legacy Hut atop Chair 4 can drop it in a box there and the resort will take care of the postage and mailing.
Last season the postcards featured artwork by Gray Malin; this year there will be six different postcards featuring Vail’s Back Bowls.
Lionshead opening soon
The Eagle Bahn Gondola in Lionshead also opened for the season on Friday, but there was no lift-served terrain atop that gondola for skiers.
Plack said crews had hoped to get Chair 15 running on Friday, but warm overnight temperatures prevented a final connection point from being created to make a safe experience for beginner skiers.
“We focused on making sure we had a snow surface available as learning terrain for guests who were joining us for their first or second day on skis,” Plack said. “Our team is up at Lionshead through the night to make the last bit of snow needed to activate Chair 15. We hope to have Chair 15 spinning tomorrow, and in the meantime, we recommend all first-time or beginner guests getting their skis under them at the learning area before trying out Swingsville.”
Plack said seeing that a group had gathered overnight to get on the first gondola helped prompt crews to get the lifts open early.
“We saw lots of excitement out on the hill today, and we expect a lot more this weekend,” he said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience while we’re still on limited early-season terrain.”
