BRECKENRIDGE, Colo., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An early winter storm moved through the Colorado Rockies this weekend bringing significant snow accumulation to the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone Residents of the Town of Breckenridge woke up this morning to more than eight inches of snow in town and more snow on the mountain. Keystone Resort reported seven inches at mid-mountain, while six inches fell at Vail and Beaver Creek. Snow continues to fall as Colorado's high country remains under a winter snow advisory until 6 p.m. this evening. Weather forecasts call for snow through Monday afternoon with another storm predicted at the end of the week.
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Snowmaking operations are set to kick off tonight at Keystone Resort and at the end of the week for Breckenridge Ski Resort as Nov. 9 marks opening day for the 2007-2008 ski season. At Vail, the season gets underway Friday, Nov. 16 and Beaver Creek opens Wednesday, Nov. 21.
Best Early Season Deal on Vail Resorts Winter Escapes
With winter hitting Colorado early, now is the time to make reservations for a winter mountain vacation in order to get lodging and lift ticket packages at the best rates. Ski Free/Stay Free packages are available early season at each of the four Colorado resorts. Ski three days and stay three nights and get the fourth day of skiing and night of lodging for free. Packages start at $301 per person in Breckenridge, for example, based on double occupancy in a hotel room. For more information and reservations, visit http://www.snow.com/.
New Mountain Improvments for 2007-2008
At Beaver Creek, the world's premier children's ski and snowboard school experience just got even better. Beaver Creek introduces the new eight-passenger Buckaroo Express Gondola, the world's shortest gondola designed with the resort's smallest customers in mind. With a ride time of just under four minutes, the Buckaroo Express provides kids (and grownups too) a warm, comfortable ride to beginner learning terrain at the base of the mountain. The lift is 1,671 feet in length with 10 towers and 26 cabins.
This season, skiers and snowboarders at Vail will have easier access to China Bowl, Two Elk Restaurant and Blue Sky Basin with the installation of two new high-speed quads. The new Arrabelle at Vail Square, a 36-room luxury hotel and pedestrian village with new restaurants, shops and skier services debuts at the base of Vail Mountain in January 2008.
Building on the momentum last season with the new BreckConnect Gondola, 150 acres of new terrain and the Imperial Express Lift (the highest lift in North America), Breckenridge is turning its attention to the development of a new terrain park progression system on Peak 8. Breckenridge is designing 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 and will transform the entire 3,500-foot run into a mid-sized, intermediate terrain park.
Keystone has added approximately 300 acres of new hike-to and snowcat-accessed terrain (above treeline, north-facing steep terrain) in Upper Independence Bowl. The resort's renowned A51 Terrain Park and Incubator Park continue to evolve this season with improved jump lines for skiers and snowboarders, new snow features and more innovative rails to slide.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, Heavenly in California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange . The Vail Resorts company website is http://www.vailresorts.com/ and consumer website is http://www.snow.com/.
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