Vail Ski Holidays

Location

A large, high-end resort with good skiing for all abilities and some world-famous powder back bowls.

One of America's biggest ski areas, stretching over more than 5,000 acres of terrain.
Legendary back bowls for advanced skiers and miles of tree-lined pistes for intermediates.
World-class hotels and restaurants in the purpose-built, traffic-free village base.

Vail is one of the largest ski areas in the world, with seven back bowls, lots of groomed terrain and a whopping nine metres of average annual snowfall. On the front side, the long, wide runs are groomed throughout the day. Head further back and there are wide-open bowls, tree runs and virtually no people. It’s got an attractive, alpine-style village centre and three ski area bases - Vail Village, Lionshead and Cascade Village. Plus a huge a number of world-class luxury hotels to choose from, close to the slopes and complete with 5-star restaurants and award-winning spas.

If you want to learn more about the mountain and get a local’s take on some of the best runs, Vail offers free guided tours to anyone who is intermediate or above. They’re offered every morning from the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola and Gondola One.

Of the three base areas, Vail Village and Lionshead are the busiest. For après, the Red Lion in Vail Village and Garfinkels in Lionshead are always popular choices. If you want to continue the party, many of the bars stay open until the early hours of the morning.

With 300 days of sunshine, a popular spot is Blue Sky Basin - head to Belle’s Camp for an outdoor barbeque with some amazing views. Then continue around the corner to Big Rock Park, one of Vail’s most popular spots for skiers and snowboarders.

Ski Guiding: Free Mountain Hosts available daily to show you around the mountain (not suitable for beginners). This service is provided by local hosts and not Crystal Staff.

Please note: When you register for your ESTA you must have a valid passport at the time of registration. For any travel to the USA, your passport must be an e-passport that contains the microchip and the e-passport symbol.

Equipment Hire Offers
- Vail Cascade customers can take advantage of Christy Sports' sister company ‘Door 2 Door’, who will deliver and fit quality hire equipment for you in the comfort of your hotel room and then collect it from you at the end of your stay. With delivery service you can still call into any Christy Sports hire store for assistance or to drop off your equipment.
- Pre-book any ski or snowboard hire package for 9 days or more and get one day free.

Pistes over 2500m

Beginners Ski Rating
Intermediates Ski Rating
Advanced Ski Rating
Snowboarding Rating

Approx. 10 hours

Denver - 2 hours 30 minutes

All accommodation in Vail

Evergreen Lodge

Over 100 restaurants are available throughout Vail, with the best being in town rather than on the mountain. More upscale than most ski resorts, the food here is generally expensive but usually excellent quality. Mealtimes needn't always break the bank though - more affordable options are dotted around too.

• Sweet Basil – One of the most popular, with beautiful food and a stylish glass wine cellar. Expect modern American meat and seafood, plus fun desserts like the cookie plate (with mudslide, cherry chocolate and snickerdoodle flavours).

• Blue Moose Pizza – Hearty Italian fare in a family-friendly atmosphere. Try a huge New York-style pizza or classic pasta. There are pizzas for vegetarians and vegans too, or you can create you own.

• Nozawa – Get a taste of Asia with a huge choice of dishes - from Thai curries, to Chinese stir fries, to Japanses sushi, you'll always find something fresh and delicious.

• La Tour – Modern French cuisine with impeccable service, perfect for a special meal. Classics like lobster bisque and stuffed squab grace the menu. For dessert, try the trio of crème brûlée, chocolate truffles and lemon madeleines.

• Pepi's, Hotel Gramshammer – Be transported across the pond to Austria, with Alpine favourites like goulash, schnitzel, bratwurst, veal and pork - something unexpected on an American ski break.

• The 10^th (top of Gondola One) – Arguably the best on the mountain, this table service restaurant is a firm favourite thanks to its elegant menu and amazing views.

• Wildwood (top of Wildwood Express chairlift) – A convenient self-service eatery at 11,000ft above sea level, where you can enjoy award-winning sandwiches, grills and baked goodies.

• Larkspur (bottom of Golden Peak chairlift) – An unusual but mouthwatering fusion of American and French cuisines that’s not to be missed.

Out of the three base areas in Vail, Vail Village and Lionshead are the most lively. The après and nightlife scene is varied and many of the venues stay open until the early hours, allowing you to release all that energy before repeating the next day.

• Garfinkels – A cornerstone in Lionshead where you can sit back and watch the last of the skiers and boarders making their way down the hill. There's even a wall adorned with photos of past visitors - will you make it up there?

• Red Lion – Since opening in 1963, this pub has established a good reputation and is also crowded in the afternoons. With signature cocktails, microbrews and live music, it's a definite must-visit.

• Shakedown Bar – This is the best spot in Vail for live music - the owner himself has toured the world as a musician and manages to rake in bands from all over the US and Europe. As the evenings draw to a close, the bar turns into a nightclub.

• On powder days, head straight to the famous Blue Sky Basin for an unforgettable day's skiing. • Experts should go up to the Sun Up Bowl, China Bowl or Siberia Bowl for more challenging runs.

We’re all about giving you support, expertise and info before, during and after your holiday – it’s what we do. Our service includes:

24/7 support and assistance.
Ski Explorer app with maps, resort info and tips as well as snow and weather reports.
Text messages with essential information about your journey.

There won’t be a rep based in Vail, but we’ll email you your vouchers if you’ve pre-booked lift passes, equipment hire or tuition, and give you details on how to pick up your gear, to make sure you’re ready for the mountain. There won’t be any Crystal-run après events, but you can check the Ski Explorer app for details on local events and activities. If you need any assistance, you can call the Crystal team 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

All our holidays include shared transfers to and from your accommodation. However, if you would prefer a private transfer, this can be added when booking. These are taken by car, 6-seater or minibus, depending on the number of people in your booking.

Holidays to USA are not available to book online - please call 01 433 1010 for prices and availability. Resort and accommodation info is available online – click the ‘ski resorts’ tab.

We highly recommend combining a first week in one of Vail's chalets with a second week in one of our Aspen or Breckenridge chalets. Visitors to Breckenridge and Vail can take advantage of the superb Colorado Ticket which covers both areas and offers a 13 day lift pass for the price of 10. Transfers between resorts can be by coach (for a small supplement) or by Free car rental. Please specify your preference at the time of booking.

Beginners are excellently catered for, with a superb ski school, convenient lifts immediately behind the village, and plenty of long, wide-open, gentle runs right from the top of the mountain.

With 5,174 acres of incredible skiing, you can choose from miles of prepared pistes and superb groomed runs to the world famous Back Bowls. Colorado powder snow is so light that intermediates can enjoy most runs. Make sure to try the 'Blue Sky Basin'.

Double black diamond runs like Goshawk and Peregrine will really test the best. Revel in the glory of the acres of virgin powder snow in no less than six massive Back Bowls, plus mile upon mile of mogul fields, creating the perfect skiing experience.

Vail is well-renowned for its expansive terrain. Expert off-piste is spread across three distinct faces: the Front Side, the Back Bowls and the Blue Sky Bason. The first is known for its exhilarating tree-lined runs; the bowls are where to head for deep-snow fun; and the latter is home to Vail's most challenging off-piste terrain.

Vail offers top-notch riding for all styles and levels with its huge expanse of terrain. Golden Peak is the best area for beginners to grasp the basics, while the back bowls will keep experts and intemediates entertained for days on end. For natural hits, head to the Blue Sky Basin which is known for its acres of natural trails, cornices and gladed trees. What's more, there's an exclusive trail just for boarders - the Cheeta Gully - which is both challenging and fun. For freestylers, the Golden Peak Terrain park is home to 12 runs, 3 halfpipes and over 40 obstacles. If you're not confident enough to ride alongside the pros, the Bwana and Pride parks are more suited to beginner and intermediate boarders.

Prices given below for lift passes, equipment hire, ski school and packages are for information purposes only and may fluctuate during the season. Current prices can be found by proceeding with your booking.

6 days	Adult	Child (5-12)
Standard skis	€146	€107
Standard skis and boots	€232	€121
Intermediate skis	€182	-
Intermediate skis and boots	€196	-
Advanced skis	€218	-
Advanced skis and boots	€232	-
Snowboard	€139	€107
Snowboard and boots	€153	€121
Helmet	€39	€39

Lift pass, equipment hire and ski school prices are subject to change. Please check the most up-to-date prices when booking.

	Days	Adult	Child (5-12)
Ski school full day	1	€134	€160

Reduced prices for teenaged aged 13-15 years.

3 days	Adult
First time ski	€386
First time snowboard	€386

Includes 3 days of lessons, 3 day lift pass and 3 days rentals for absolute beginners.

Children aged 12 and under in group ski or board lessons will be required to wear a helmet unless a parent or guardian signs a waiver releasing the resort from non-helmet wearing liabilities.

Piste type	Number of runs
Easy	35
Intermediate	56
Difficult	103

overview

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Off-Piste (Ski Facts)

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