The snow is still falling in the Vail Valley! Beaver Creek reported 17″ and Vail reported 13″ on 12/23/2008 taking them over the 7 foot mark for December. Beaver Creek has reported 49″ in the past week and Vail has reported 41″ in the past 7 days. The new snow has increased the base depths of these mountains to over 50″ which is not too common this early in the season. Vail has nearly 100% of their terrain open totaling 5131 acres open and 31 lifts open. Beaver Creek has 101% of their terrain open totaling 1815 acres and 25 lifts open. The snow is very deep and very powder-hound friendly all the new snow has kept the mogul size small and the tops soft; this helps riders of all abilities enjoy the fresh snowfall. The paths through the trees at both resorts are well covered, and provide the best skiing on both mountains. There is minimal rock exposure, and the ones that are showing are over 4 feet tall in the summer when the snow is absent. We had 11″ Christmas day and 12/26 so it was definitely a white Christmas for those of us here in the Vail Valley. The crowds are smaller than average this year as people are scared to vacation due to the economic downturn of recent. This is making for some of the best skiing in decades for the people who are lucky enough to make it out for the 2008-2009 ski season. My recommendation is if you have the money to come up this year DO IT because we may not see snow like this again for a while (and by while I mean years). There are many specials and packages available to help promote this years ski season, and taking advantage of these specials can save you and your family thousands of dollars. Beaver Creek West Condominiums in Avon, CO at the entrance to Beaver Creek are offering packages over the holidays and throughout the rest of the season starting at $337.61 per person including Lift Tickets, Ski Rentals, and Lodging at the Gold rated Beaver Creek West complex. Call 1-800-222-4840 for more information regarding these rates and package options. The rates and dates can also be found by clicking here. The snow is not stopping so what is stopping you from coming out to the Vail Valley to enjoy all the great snow and fun family activities.