Let me be frank: the event was a splash! Joking aside I had fun last weekend up at Vail. Bacardi invited both myself and Rachel to attend the Bacardi World Pond Skimming Championships. If you’re not clear on what this event is: a bunch of people ski and snowboard down a hill, one at a time, towards a 100 foot long pool filled with almost-freezing water. The goal is to skim across the pool to the other side (but most people do a half-flip and fall on their asses).

A few highlights and our thoughts:

• The Jumbotron: It was nice having a big screen to replay all the crashes and splashes. There were so many people at the event and the positioning of the run on the hill meant it would be difficult to see what was going on otherwise.
• The announcers: Like any good event the commentary from the booths was obnoxious at best. A few fun jabs and jokes but generally annoying. We could’ve done with less of them.
• The costumes: Really, the costumes were the highlight. A lot of creative (and ridiculous) people showed up and they brought their Sunday best! Everyone from Duff Man (Simpsons) to Borat showed up. Even a cowboy with his assless chaps and the Oompa Loompas.
• The flips: The ramp right before the pool was perfect for competitors buzzed (on Bacardi “Snowjitos”) individuals to hit and flip sideways and backwards. Of course, they probably don’t enjoy the crashes as much as we do.
• The flow: After about an hour we had only seen a dozen competitors go down the hill. A lack of organization at the top (people sneaking in and going down the hill) and inability to be entertaining at the bottom (see: The announcers) meant a semi-frustrating and slow afternoon.

One of the best performances was easily Duff Man as he was the first to successfully skim the pond. He casually side stepped out of the pool and headed to the hot tub. Shortly thereafter, one of the snowboarders came down and proposed in front of the entire crowd. Of course, she said yes.

While we’re not entirely convinced we would make a separate trip up to the mountains for this again, overall the event was fun. Our tips for fully enjoying the day: 1) arrive early to see people milling around in costumes before the event, 2) wear snow pants and good shoes (it will really allow you to get to a position to see better - otherwise you’re fairly limited on where you can watch from), and 3) be prepared (in whatever way you choose to prepare…) for the event to be slowly paced

Media

Visit the Colorado Snow pool on flickr for more photos and videos from the event.

“Your 2008-2009 season pass is getting a high-tech makeover. All passes for next season — The Epic, Colorado, and Summit season passes — will utilize a new state-of-the-art radio frequency technology that’ll offer an “easy scan” process, where we can scan the pass through your clothing, giving you the option to keep your pass zipped inside your jacket in the lift lines at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly in Lake Tahoe.”

More spring fun starts next week up in Vail with a week-long festival celebrating the sun and the snow:

The mountains will be alive with free concerts from national headliners, on-snow events, street parties…and don’t miss the ever-popular…Bacardi World Pond Skimming Championships.

So head on up to Vail and have a good time. Check the website for details on the schedule, concerts, and information about pond skimming (sliding across a pond in a crazy costume on your skis/snowboard). It’ll be good!

Click here to visit the Spring Back to Vail website for details.

Announcement: For the go-getters among us: The Colorado Pass spring renewal period has begun. Renewal before May 4th requires only $49 down (balance due in September) and, as a bonus for the non-procrastinators includes four $50 tickets and unlimited riding in April 2009. If you’re feeling indecisive, take your time — you have until at least November 15, 2008.

If you’re not familiar with the Colorado Pass it is a season pass to the following resorts: Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin and will be sold for $439. This season the passes will use RF technology so you never have to take it out of your jacket. See also: the Epic Pass.

From Sam: Vail Resorts came out with a press release yesterday about their new ‘Epic Pass‘. It is an unrestricted (no blackout dates), and unlimited (go as many times as you want) to Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin and Heavenly for $579 for adults and $279 for kids. It is available until November 15th. This is probably going to be the best ski deal of the year. Click here for details on the Epic Pass. Also, as a bonus, all of the passes will be using RFID (radio frequency) technology this year so you won’t have to take the pass out of your clothing.

Q: Is there any chance that the usual Summit County mtn’s will stay open through the end of April, besides A-Basin and Loveland? My kids have Easter break from 4/21-25. What about Breck? Vail? B-Creek?

Q: When is the best (read: cheapest) time to renew my CO Pass? I’m a first time Season Pass holder, and I’d like to renew for 2008-2009, but I don’t know the game. Thanks!

A: Easy answer: the fine folks at Vail Resorts will definitely let you know when to renew your pass. If you signed up with an email yyou will get a half-dozen emails over the summer. Don't worry, it will be very explicit as to when you need to renew.

I can't recall the exact time frame but I'm thinking July or August are when the renewals are due by (to get the best deal). As soon as I start hearing exact details I will be sure to post them here

Thanks for the question! Click here to ask your own.

Nirav just noted that the latest pricing for ski-with-a-friend pass (Colorado Pass) pricing is as follows: $75 for Vail/Beaver Creek, $59 for Keystone/Breckenridge, $49 for Arapahoe Basin. March 9 - March 22 will become even more expensive so now would be a good weekend to use those tickets. Thanks, Nirav.

12 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours at Vail means the $12 lift ticket special is going on right now! If you’re planning a trip to Vail, you might want to check out this deal in the next 7 hours (the special only lasts 12 hours). If you get a good deal, let us know!

Get all the details on Deals for ski resorts in Vail from your travel advisor. You can get a really cheap hotel in Vail; even cheaper than orlando hotel rooms. An orlando hotel is usually cheaper than other hotels in major cities. You’ll be staying at comfortable hotel rooms at affordable rates. However, a miami hotel on the beachfront is almost double the price of hotels in the city. All flights to phoenix have been delayed due to the snow storm alert.

I spoke with a customer service representative at Vail Resorts today and was able to gather the following discounted ticket pricing (they’re called “Ski-With-A-Friend”, and each Colorado Pass holder can purchase up to 6 of these tickets).

Prices through February 15, 2008

• Arapahoe Basin: $22
• Keystone, Breckenridge: $55
• Vail, Beaver Creek: $65

The prices will go up slightly after 2/15 but the resorts won’t say how much yet. For more details call 888-215-3867.

Bonus: Found on the Colorado Pass bonus page, a little known fact: if you renewed your pass before May 31, 2007 (never known to me!) you are entitled to FOUR UNRESTRICTED $45 TICKETS valid all season at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin.

Ski.com recently announced a new ski special — if it snows 12 inches in 24 hours at a Vail resort, they’ll offer $12 lift ticket ski packages if you book within 12 hours. Naturally, there are a couple caveats. There are quite a few blackout dates, only 4-night travel packages are eligible for $12 tickets, and you get only one discounted ticket per person. But, with Vail tickets at $92 the last time I checked, it’s may not be such a bad deal if you’re getting a trip together with a bunch of friends that don’t have passes.

The winter storm that wrecked havoc in California seems to have moved its way to Colorado. Aspen and Vail are expected to have 10 inches of new snow by Tuesday morning while Silverton and Wolf Creek are reporting snowfall amounts as high as 42 inches over the weekend. While this may seem like good news, road conditions may make it difficult to get in on the action as portions of I-70 and several passes have been periodically shut down due to dangerous driving conditions. See the Denver Post article here.

Update: After contacting customer service I’ve posted the discounted prices that apply through February 15, 2008.

As an owner of the Colorado Pass I’m entitled to “six Ski With A Friend, discounted lift tickets that are loaded onto [my] pass” (link). The Colorado Pass website states “Passholder must be present with friend to receive discount. Discounts and prices vary throughout the season. Visit coloradopass.com during the season for details and pricing.” I don’t see any pricing! For such an expensive pass there is very little information available online. Heck, when I renewed my pass online there was no confirmation that my pass was activated. I had to show up at the slopes on blind faith to know, for sure, it was ready for the season.

My best day skiing was last Sunday at Vail when they got over 8 inches of fresh new snow. Sure, Vail got snow but I got a bowl! The Blue Sky Basin also opened and I can’t count the number of times I got (delightfully) stuck in the deep white stuff.

The best part of all this snow is you can’t get too terribly hurt. The worst part is that a lot of rocks, cliffs and bumps are lurking beneath. It’s also a huge drain of energy trying to stand up and work your way out of getting stuck. So, with the good (great!) comes the bad. You be the judge:

With at least 10″ in the last 24 hours at Vail, resort officials are planning to open Blue Sky Basin and portions China, Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls on Saturday, December 8th. Also, the new Highline Express Lift (Chair 10) will open for it’s first time. Visit Vail.com for more information.

From Snowboard Magazine:

After a major snowstorm blanketed the central Rockies with up to two feet of snow this past weekend, Vail Resorts has decided to give Colorado skiers and snowboarders an early holiday gift this season. During this coming weekend only, Dec. 7-9, the popular Colorado Pass, Colorado Pass Plus, Summit Pass and Four Pack will go back on sale at the fall prices.

Read the full story at Snowboard Magazine.

As a pass-holder this is frustrating. This is the second time they’ve extended their “deadline”. Where is my incentive to buy the pass early then, jerks?

This should come as no surprise but this season Vail’s lift tickets are going to be a bit expensive:

Vail Resorts increased the daily price of its high-season, ski lift tickets to the Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas to a whopping $89 a day for a multi-day purchase – a new high for Colorado lift ticket prices. To date the highest ski lift ticket in the state was Aspen, at $82. (link)

Read the entire article at Snow News is Good News

Vail is pushing it’s PEAKS program hard this year which encourages buyers to purchase tickets online ahead of time in exchange for savings and rewards. As of today the only pricing available online are the PEAKS prices.

Click here for Vail ticket pricing. Call 1-800-503-8748 for the latest ticket information.

Vail opened this morning at 9:00am to a picture-perfect-powder-day with up to 6 inches of new snow in some spots.

Visit Vail.com for video, photos and web cams.

Those hoping for powder over Thanksgiving might have a harder time than previously anticipated. A handful of Colorado mountains recently announced postponed openings due to lack of snow. Citing marginal temperatures for snow making, Steamboat Springs, Vail, and Eldora have all pushed back their season openings. Seven resorts are currently open, though most are only offering limited runs. Despite the delays, Vail remains optimistic that recent temperature drops and a possible storm will allow the resort “to open with a very good snow surface.”

Steamboat won’t be opening until the last day of November, missing the Thanksgiving crowd altogether. Vail opens on Wednesday the 21st and Eldora opens on Thanksgiving.

Pictures are worth 1,000 words over at SKINET, SKI magazine’s website where they listed their reader’s top 10 resorts for 2007:

1. Deer Valley, UT
2. Vail, CO
3. Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C.
4. Aspen, CO
5. Snowmass, CO
6. Park City, UT
7. Breckenridge, CO
8. Beaver Creek, CO
9. Steamboat, CO
10. Sun Valley, ID

Let’s not act surprised, though. Sure, our slopes are some of the best around… but keep in mind that every Colorado Pass holder receives a subscription to SKI Magazine (and they’re the 7,000 people that voted).