Upscale, romantic, chic dining is no stranger to the Vail valley. Innovation, novelty, and invention, on the other hand, are a little bit more difficult to come by, as attempts at these in this area have historically amounted to examples of kitsch that serve instead to forward innocent designers from straying down the path. Take Avon’s boat building, for example. The poor boat building, which was originally designed to look like a ski, earned its name after construction by its rounded glass façade, round bulbous windows, and looming “nose” over one of the town’s busiest roundabouts. The original intent of the building might have fallen by the wayside except that it now houses Vin 48- a restaurant concept as novel as the boat building itself, but even more innovative and inventive with space use and wine tasting.

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In the area’s first seasonal rush after the big holiday season, word about the near record-breaking snowfall appears to have reached far and wide, as far and wide has traveled from such to fill vacant rental homes, condos, and hotel rooms to get a taste of the legendary “pow.” Its a sunny Friday today, with a couple inches at best overnight, but this week has been the first to break the impossible visibility of the cloudy, snowy days that have created such a buzz. Not that these folks won’t get their $300 a night worth- Accuweather is predicting snow, snow, snow over today, tomorrow, and Sunday, making that Monday the first clear day, and thank gawd, because the roads will need it. With so many driving up for the weekend today and yesterday, Monday will be the big day to get back to Denver, for regional locals and for those catching a quick flight out of DIA. I-70 is sure to be packed with folks who would rather be skiing or riding a monorail.
The idea of a monorail makes a lot of sense from the bottom-to-top traveler standpoint. No gas expense, no effort, no driving hazards, including weather, wildlife, or fatigued motorists. Many who live between Denver and Vail see the idea of the project as an unsightly attempt at Disney-tizing the pristine mountains. Those who fly in to Eagle County Airport for their vacations also snub their noses at the idea, as the project might cause their little airport to step up the competition.
Its weekends like MLK that encourage possibilities like the monorail- more locals wish there were fewer cars on the road, more front-deskers wish there were fewer crabby new arrivals (after all, its sunny and 2 degrees Farenheight at 11am in Avon- nevermind nighttime arrivals.) If the tourist population could be less dependent on the roads and cars, there might be more room to enjoy our surroundings, even from monorail or town bus windows. Deep down, we are glad to see all the visitors, but we can’t even help but be dissuaded by their frustration with each other. When the big city arrives, this place changes a little bit. Sometimes it seems like the most effective ways to disarm that and make this place more liveable on a consistent basis are the ways that meet the most resistance.
Should well enough be left alone?

While skiing is fun and for some limitless adventure, it is important to remember that the wild is still just that.

Since the new year, two skiers have died in the East Vail Chutes, an area off the Vail boundary lines but is accessible only by Vail’s back bowls. Vail employee Jesse Brigham and local Matthew Gustafson were both skiing the chutes in the same area, eight days apart, when surprised by avalanches. Gustafson, however, was not skiing alone. Buddy Jackie Rossman was able to shovel out, and called for help. Our hearts go out to them, their friends and their families.

In an article by Steve Lynn of the Vail Daily, U.S. Forest Service Snow Ranger Don Dressler estimated that 150 people ski the area on a busy day, and “about half don’t have the proper equipment, such as beacons, shovels and probes.”

Searches continue elsewhere in Colorado- for a female near Alamosa and two Wolf Creek snowboarders. Some of these searches have also been hampered by the still-prevailing dangerous conditions.

It is important to know avalanche danger can be calculated, and such dangers are carefully watched and monitored in in-bounds areas of Vail and other commercial ski resorts. Its the back country, with its draw of pristine snow and adrenaline, that bear the risk. To avoid avalanche risk, stay in-bounds or learn more. Colorado Mountain College has offered weekend classes in avalanche safety for anyone interested in learning how to calculate avalanche risk.

Additional information provided by News 2, Denver.

At 8 a.m., students up and down the Vail Valley in Colorado are entering the doors of the local high school.

But not freshman Abby Ghent. She is standing on the snow at Vail Ski Resort and using a heavy, metal wrench to screw a racing gate into the snow. The gates — the bright poles that skiers race around at the Winter Olympics — have to be screwed in tight so they don’t rip out when the girls come racing down the mountain.

If they want to attend the Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, these girls have to be willing to do dirty work like this, carry a lot of gear and stay ahead in school.

Read about it here or listen to it at NPR.org

The Avon Transit Center is now one more step closer to being the complete transportation hub in its dreams of itself- the Gondola to Beaver Creek Landing is now fully operational, cutting the average transit time of skiers from Avon to Beaver Creek by about five minutes. The gondola also serves end-of-day or lunching skiers downloading back to Avon. Check out the ride in this slideshow:

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