Beaver Creek Resort took its first official step Friday toward upgrading its fixed-grip triple-chair Rose Bowl lift to a high-speed four-seater.

The resort submitted a proposal to the White River National Forest, which will now take comments from the public for the next two weeks.

Don Dressler, the winter sports administrator for the U.S. Forest Service’s Eagle/Holy Cross Ranger District, said the new lift would cut the ride time from 11 minutes to five minutes.

“That’s a big part of why this project is important,” Dressler said. “When you reduce the lift time, not only are you improving the overall experience for the guest, but we think we’ll get better utilization of the existing terrain there and improve skier circulation.”

Beaver Creek spokeswoman Jen Brown issued a statement Friday about the proposal, saying the upgrade would improve the guest experience as well as shift density from the front side of the mountain.

“A high-speed quad would provide a better experience for lower-level intermediate skiers and snowboarders and ski school through ease of use and the convenience of a high-speed quad,” Brown said.

The Master Chef Classic, presented by food and lifestyle magazine Bon Appetit, kicks Beaver Creek from posh mountain resort to culinary hotspot. Pastry classes, cocktail demonstrations, and snowy rambles finished with multi-course meals are all part of the program. But the festival’s signature event is the Master Chef Challenge, an Iron-Chef-style cooking competition that pairs up local and celebrity chefs, and pits them against each other.

Each team is given a workspace, a pantry of staples, a secret ingredient and 20 minutes to create two dishes. Bon Appetit Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport and Bon Appetit wine and spirits consultant Steven Olson will taste each dish and decide on the winners of the round. The same thing happens for round two. The winners from the first two rounds meet up in round three, which determines the overall winner.

Avon Station

This is the main transit station in Avon where all of the local bus routes are based. You can catch a ride to Vail from here and there is also a series of local bus routes that depart from Avon Station.

Free Public Bus Rides

The Town of Avon provides a free bus system that runs throughout the year. These buses will typically bring skiers and snowboarders from the free parking lots up to the base of the ski area. You can also use the public bus system here to visit many of the local attractions.

Vail/Beaver Creek/Eagle County Buses

Eagle County provides reasonably priced transportation options for locals and vacationers who need to travel between Vail, Beaver Creek, Minturn, Leadville, Edwards, and Gypsum.

Bus fares are $4 for most local routes, and $7 for the Leadville route. If you are a local resident or plan to use this bus system a lot, discounted bus passes are available for you at various rates.

VAIL, Colorado — Consistent winter storms have brought powder to skiers and snowboarders at Vail with more than 270 inches of snowfall reported at mid-mountain this season, including more than a foot of fresh snow reported Sunday morning. As of today:

• This is the fourth-best season-to-date snowfall in Vail’s history.

• Snowfall this season to date is at more than 50 percent, or nearly 8 feet, above Vail’s average at the top of the mountain, dating back as far as records exist to the 1963-64 season, the second season Vail was open.

• Vail’s total snowfall is more than double what it was at this time last year at mid-mountain.

“With the help of Mother Nature this season, it’s difficult to remember better conditions in my 25 years with Vail,” said Chris Jarnot, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Vail Mountain.

Daily staff report
newsroom@vaildaily.com
Vail, CO Colorado

Beaver Creek Colorado is all about kids.  Consider a top-notch kids ski school with its own base camp, carefully designed learning trails, fresh cookies personally delivered by the chef at the end of the day, restaurants that manage to produce great food in an upscale atmosphere and still be kid friendly (think magicians over filet mignon), ice skating in the town center and you’ll begin to get a feeling for Beaver Creek.

This spring, check out their special BC Loves Kids! program.  Beaver Creek is devoting February 27, 2011 and March 11, 2011 to family fun with snowshoe tours, fireworks, night skiing with glow sticks, evening ice-skating, family NASTAR racing and more.  Great rates include lots of free goodies for the kids … like free ski school, free rentals, free lift tickets and free food at select restaurants for the kids.