Skiing in Eagle County, Veterans Day, casino nights, pub crawls and more: Tricia’s Weekend Picks: 11/10/23
Vail's Opening Weekend includes lift accress from both Lionshead and Vail Village
Vail Mountain opens
Get ready to enjoy the first day of skiing and snowboarding in Eagle County on Friday as Vail Mountain opens for its 61st season. The first day of the season is always exciting with plenty of costume-clad enthusiasts on the snow. There will also be people camped out at the base to claim first chair bragging rights and it’s a reason to go to work a little bit later just to make a few turns.
As of Wednesday, a press release sent out by Vail Resorts stated that Vail Mountain would open the mountain with more than 55 acres of terrain. Vail Mountain plans to open Gondola One (No. 1) out of Vail Village and the Eagle Bahn Gondola (No. 19) in Lionshead. The gondolas and lifts will operate from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Mountain Top Express (No. 4) will give skiers and riders access to Swingsville and Ramshorn runs in the Mid Vail area. The Little Eagle Lift (No. 15) will access beginner terrain at Eagle’s Nest. All skiers and snowboarders must download at the end of the day, there is no top-to-bottom skiing or riding at this time.
Come early for complimentary strudel and warm beverages, a live DJ, 10th Mountain Whiskey tastings and a ceremonial banner break. If you get hungry, on-mountain dining will be available. Mid Vail at the Look Ma Terrace level will feature home-smoked German sausages with peppers and onions, and Ramen (among other items). Buffalo’s, Roadhouse and the Grill at Eagle’s Nest Market Place also will be open. Express Lift Bar at the base of Gondola One (No. 1) will be open for après ski.
New this season, the My Epic app with Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Tickets is now available to download, allowing guests to use their phone as their ticket to the slopes.
So, get the boards ready, take inventory and make sure you have all your gear and get out there and enjoy Vail Mountain’s Opening Day this Friday. For more information, go to Vail.com and if you still need your Epic Pass, visit EpicPass.com. Prices go up on Nov. 19.
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Veterans Day
This Saturday is Veterans Day, which is recognized on Nov. 11 each year. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I when, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the fighting ended with the signing of an armistice.
This holiday is often confused with Memorial Day, held on the last Monday of May each year. According to Military.com, Memorial Day honors military personnel who died in service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. Veterans Day honors everyone who has served in the military, whether or not they served in wartime or died in battle.
To honor veterans locally, head to Freedom Park’s Flagpole Plaza in Edwards, next to Battle Mountain High School and Colorado Mountain College. The 19th annual Eagle County Veterans Day ceremony honoring veterans of the United States Armed Forces and those currently serving on active duty is presented by the Freedom Park Memorial Committee, VFW Post 10721 and Eagle County. The guest speaker is Garrett Fonda, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army, served in airborne ranger infantry units and later in his 20-year career he was in the Soviet foreign affairs office.
The Battle Mountain High School Choir will sing the national anthem and “America the Beautiful” will be sung by Michelle Cohn Levy, the cantor at B’nai Vail. The event starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday and the public is welcome. For more information, contact Eagle County veteran services officer Pat Hammon at Pat.Hammon@EagleCounty.us.
‘Full Circle‘ movie benefit for Vail Veterans Program
On Friday, the Riverwalk Theater is hosting the film, “Full Circle” and proceeds will benefit the Vail Veterans Program. “Full Circle” is a film about post traumatic growth and follows Trevor Kennison, who broke his back while skiing in the backcountry near Vail Pass in November 2014. In 2019, he reached out to Level 1 Productions, a Denver-based production company specializing in the action sports genre. Kennison wanted to return to the site of his accident and suggested Level 1 do a web short film documenting it.
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Kennison only snowboarded as a hobby before his accident. After his accident, he tried the sit-ski and his world was forever changed. He showed up at Jackson Hole to compete in the Kings and Queens of Corbet’s. The unknown amateur was the first sit-skier to launch into this iconic couloir and after that he became a professional athlete.
Once Level 1 started working with Kennison more, they also learned that there were a lot of similarities between his story and Barry Corbet, the namesake behind Jackson Hole’s Corbet’s Couloir. Corbet broke his back in a helicopter crash in 1968.
Even though Kennison never got the chance to meet Corbet, who died in 2004, they share similar experiences. They were both injured in the Colorado backcountry, did rehab at Craig Hospital in Denver, and Kennison gained fame at the very spot that bears Corbet’s name. Corbet did so much for the disabled community and paved the way for athletes like Kennison.
Come early for the cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m. and the movie starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at RiverwalkTheater.com or at the box office.
Gallery Night and Benches on Broadway
Head to downtown Eagle on Friday night to celebrate art and see the new benches that will be placed on Broadway Street. Tara Novak of ARTSPaCE workshop+gallery started this project years ago with the idea of bringing vitality to historic downtown Eagle.
“I proposed painting the benches in vibrant motifs to show the personalities and stories of our community,” Novak said. “Starting with two benches that I painted last year, as part of a pilot program, this year EagleARTS nonprofit received more community funding from the town of Eagle to paint three more benches.”
The Eagle Public Library enlisted the help of kids and senior citizens, asking for design ideas for the benches.
“We lined up four local professional artists, who all happen to be active and community-oriented Vail Valley Art Guild members, to each pick one of the design concept submissions to use as their inspiration. Margo Thomas, Mason Torry and husband/wife team Taylor and Jake Jones all started their designs on the benches,” Novak said.
The reveal will be this Friday evening at ARTSPaCE workshop+gallery during its Second Friday Gallery Night from 5:30 to 6 p.m. The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Go to the Facebook events page to learn more.
While in historic downtown Eagle, stop by the Vail Valley Art Guild Gallery in Second Street for its Second Friday Gallery Night. November’s themes are “Blue” and “Around the World.” For more information go to vvagco.org.
Crawl 4 ALS
Now that the ski season has started, time for some après ski. This Saturday, get out on the hill and then head to the bars with a pub crawl for a cause. CRAWL 4 ALS is a Vail Village bar crawl that starts and ends at Cucina at the Lodge at Vail. The event is put on by Runs For ALS, a local nonprofit that raises money for those living with ALS.
Purchase your crawl card in advance for $25 or pay $30 at the door. If you buy in advance online, cardholders will receive an Alpine Bank giveaway bag ($50 value).
After checking in at Cucina, visit four other fun Vail Village bars that are participating in this year’s pub crawl: 10th Mountain Whiskey, Pazzo’s, Vail Brewing Company and Vendetta’s. There will be activities at each location that must be completed to fill out your crawl card. Both skill and luck will be tested. Challenges are appropriate for all ages over 21. Every fully stamped crawl card becomes your raffle ticket to win prizes when you come back to Cucina. The more crawl cards you have, the more chances you have to win. Drink tickets will be sold at check-in for any 10th Mountain Whiskey bourbon and vodka drinks at Cucina. From 3 to 9 p.m., Cucina will donate 25% of all sales to Runs For ALS. For more information and to get your crawl card in advance, go to Runs4ALS.org.
Casino Night
Who needs Vegas when you can ski all day and then party the night away? The annual Casino Night is back and benefits the Red Sandstone Elementary School in Vail. Funds raised will go toward the school and the expansion of its STEM lab.
Dress to impress while supporting the Tigers of Red Sandstone Elementary. Get ready to roll the dice at Manor Vail, doors open at 7 p.m. and the event goes until 10 p.m. Drink specials, including one called a Snake Eye will be featured along with a paddle raise, music by DJ Krusher Jones and your newly elected town of Vail councilman, Reid Phillips will emcee the event.
The silent auction is ready for bidding online, and in addition to traditional silent auction items like lodging deals, liquor, rounds of golf and tickets to sporting events, there are some unique experiences, like becoming mayor for a day, fire chief for a day, police chief for a day and principal for a day. Go to RSES.EagleSchools.net to get tickets.
