Vail Mountain opens 10 new runs in Game Creek Bowl and Chair 2 areas after receiving a foot of snow
John LaConte/Vail Daily
Vail Mountain received a foot of new snow this week, and crews opened a large chunk of new terrain on Friday for skiers and snowboarders to enjoy.
The opening of the Game Creek chairlift (No. 7) on Friday morning provided the most significant addition to the terrain offerings at Vail, although a large swath of the mountain accessible from Chair 2 and the Eagle’s Nest Ridge also opened, as well.
Prior to Friday, the runs accessed from Eagle’s Nest Ridge were all closed, including Avanti, Pickeroon, Lodgepole, Berries and Ledges, but they all opened on Friday morning.
In Game Creek Bowl, the Lost Boy and Dealer’s Choice runs on Vail Mountain’s westernmost reaches opened, giving skiers a view to Castle Peak and the Eagle River Valley.
En route to Lost Boy and Dealer’s Choice, the Game Creek Bowl runs of Wild Card, the Woods and Baccarat all opened on Friday, as well.
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But not all of the runs in Game Creek Bowl were open on Friday morning. Dueces Wild and the Showboat run — which runs directly under the lift, giving the run its name — remained closed along with Ouzo and Faro, which are accessed from the Eagle’s Nest Ridge and Chair 2.
While Game Creek Bowl is a bowl, and some of its runs are on the backside of the front-facing slopes, it’s not considered to be one of Vail Mountain’s seven “Legendary Back Bowls,” which provide access to nearly 2,800 acres of terrain and have not yet opened for the season.
Some terrain on Vail’s frontside is still waiting to open, as well, including the westernmost terrain surrounding Chair 26, and the eastern-most terrain surrounding Chair 10. On the eastern portion of Vail’s frontside, lower Riva Ridge opened recently, providing connectivity to the Golden Peak area.
On the western portion of Vail’s frontside, snow guns in recent days have been blowing on the Simba run, which requires extra base on certain sections that are especially exposed.
Vail Mountain reported 6 inches of fresh snow to start the day on Friday, and 6 inches on Tuesday, as well.
While the snow had mostly stopped by Friday morning, temperatures were cold, keeping that snow dry and powdery. Temperatures are expected to remain cold on Friday and Saturday, dropping below zero early Saturday morning before warming up again on Sunday.
The next chance of snow for the area will come on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
