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VAIL, Colorado — Jack Muller might not move as quickly as he used to, but that's not stopping him from coming to Vail for his annual ski holiday tradition with his friends and family.
Muller, 85, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of vacationing in Vail this week. He arrived Wednesday evening and isn't going to miss a day on the hill while he's here.
Muller and four of his buddies from the Harvard Business School's class of 1949 had skied together in Vermont while they were in school and wanted to plan an annual vacation together somewhere out west. They tried Sun Valley, Idaho, the first year, but it just wasn't what they were looking for in a ski resort or town.
Then they discovered Vail. It was 1979 when they first came here, and the group expanded as families grew larger. Muller is the only one of the five originals who's here this week, but memories of them are everywhere. The families — the Mullers, Hanleys, Murphys, Burkes and Davises — still come every year. They wouldn't miss it.
“I married into this tradition,” said Tom Powers, Muller's son-in-law. “It's a great tradition, and I'm really glad I'm a part of it.”
The ski instructors are also a special part of the annual ski trip. Nigel Mills has been Muller's instructor for more than 20 years. He said he feels like part of the family now.
“We're all friends now,” Mills said.
The group, which was 40 people strong during its peak years, divides up into smaller groups to ski. They hire ski instructors to ensure they get the best snow and hit the least crowded areas of the mountain — Muller said he likes to be productive when he's skiing Vail. After doing this for so many years, Mills said he knows where to take them.
Bill Phillips, 79, who has also been coming on the trip for years, said Mills is the group's “seeing eye dog.” Muller said he can practically smell where the good snow is — he's that good.
Muller's likes have changed throughout the years. He used to ski a lot faster and enjoyed bump runs, but now he takes it a little easier on himself and doesn't ski as many runs. He still loves every minute of it, though.
After Muller broke his hip in a cycling accident in France when he was 80, doctors told him his skiing days were over. He was back on the slopes the next season.
He said he always stayed motivated about skiing Vail because it's just so massive that “you want to keep getting good, so you can ski more places.” He's skied the east and all over Europe, but nothing has ever impressed him as much as Vail.
“There's nothing like this place in the world, the whole world,” Muller said.
The tradition isn't all about skiing — it's time for family and friends to enjoy spending time together. They have several other traditions while they're in town, such as dining at certain restaurants and their annual party. They always stay at the Lodge at Vail and hold a party there toward the end of the trip — it's like the grand finale of the perfect ski vacation.
“It's just your run-of-the-mill wedding reception,” Powers said, who is this year's “Captain Snowflake,” meaning he arranged the trip and did all of the planning.
Muller was captain for a while, but now it's Powers' job, and he takes it seriously. At Sunday night's private party, he'll play a slideshow of photos from the 30 years in Vail. He also made a home video from their 1999 trip and edited it into a movie, which he'll also play at the party.
Muller plans to give a speech, but he was too busy enjoying the snow Saturday and hadn't finished writing it yet.
That's the other thing about Vail — it always snows the week they're in town. That's part of the reason they keep coming back every year.
“This week (of every year), Vail's got more snow than anybody,” Muller said. “The back bowls have been open three-quarters of the time we've been here.”
Mills' wife, Andrea, said the group seems to bring the snow with them. She said snow is practically guaranteed when they're in town. It's just one more thing the group can smile about while they're enjoying their Vail tradition.
Muller, 85, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of vacationing in Vail this week. He arrived Wednesday evening and isn't going to miss a day on the hill while he's here.
Muller and four of his buddies from the Harvard Business School's class of 1949 had skied together in Vermont while they were in school and wanted to plan an annual vacation together somewhere out west. They tried Sun Valley, Idaho, the first year, but it just wasn't what they were looking for in a ski resort or town.
Then they discovered Vail. It was 1979 when they first came here, and the group expanded as families grew larger. Muller is the only one of the five originals who's here this week, but memories of them are everywhere. The families — the Mullers, Hanleys, Murphys, Burkes and Davises — still come every year. They wouldn't miss it.
“I married into this tradition,” said Tom Powers, Muller's son-in-law. “It's a great tradition, and I'm really glad I'm a part of it.”
The ski instructors are also a special part of the annual ski trip. Nigel Mills has been Muller's instructor for more than 20 years. He said he feels like part of the family now.
“We're all friends now,” Mills said.
The group, which was 40 people strong during its peak years, divides up into smaller groups to ski. They hire ski instructors to ensure they get the best snow and hit the least crowded areas of the mountain — Muller said he likes to be productive when he's skiing Vail. After doing this for so many years, Mills said he knows where to take them.
Bill Phillips, 79, who has also been coming on the trip for years, said Mills is the group's “seeing eye dog.” Muller said he can practically smell where the good snow is — he's that good.
Muller's likes have changed throughout the years. He used to ski a lot faster and enjoyed bump runs, but now he takes it a little easier on himself and doesn't ski as many runs. He still loves every minute of it, though.
After Muller broke his hip in a cycling accident in France when he was 80, doctors told him his skiing days were over. He was back on the slopes the next season.
He said he always stayed motivated about skiing Vail because it's just so massive that “you want to keep getting good, so you can ski more places.” He's skied the east and all over Europe, but nothing has ever impressed him as much as Vail.
“There's nothing like this place in the world, the whole world,” Muller said.
The tradition isn't all about skiing — it's time for family and friends to enjoy spending time together. They have several other traditions while they're in town, such as dining at certain restaurants and their annual party. They always stay at the Lodge at Vail and hold a party there toward the end of the trip — it's like the grand finale of the perfect ski vacation.
“It's just your run-of-the-mill wedding reception,” Powers said, who is this year's “Captain Snowflake,” meaning he arranged the trip and did all of the planning.
Muller was captain for a while, but now it's Powers' job, and he takes it seriously. At Sunday night's private party, he'll play a slideshow of photos from the 30 years in Vail. He also made a home video from their 1999 trip and edited it into a movie, which he'll also play at the party.
Muller plans to give a speech, but he was too busy enjoying the snow Saturday and hadn't finished writing it yet.
That's the other thing about Vail — it always snows the week they're in town. That's part of the reason they keep coming back every year.
“This week (of every year), Vail's got more snow than anybody,” Muller said. “The back bowls have been open three-quarters of the time we've been here.”
Mills' wife, Andrea, said the group seems to bring the snow with them. She said snow is practically guaranteed when they're in town. It's just one more thing the group can smile about while they're enjoying their Vail tradition.
