Vail opens one blue run

VAIL – This will be the first time in 13 seasons in the valley that Ken Wander isn’t skiing on opening day.”I don’t want to ride that trail with everybody out of shape there,” said Wander, 34, of Eagle-Vail. “If there were more snow I would go. But I already went to Copper and it was a little scary with all the inexperienced skiers. “I don’t need to be run into or killed on my first day out there,” he added. “There’s still plenty of season left. I have a lot of time to get up there and get my days in.”Others are looking forward to hitting the slopes of Vail Mountain, which today opens one run – Born Free, above Lionshead – with 15 inches of manmade snow.Kathy Sligh said she’s taking her 2-year-old son, Ethan, for his first tracks on skis Saturday. “I want him to get used to the lift,” Sligh aid.

Vail Mountain opens today for its 42nd season with the intermediate Born Free trail the only terrain, and the Born Free Express the only lift, open on the mountain. One more lift and a small patch of beginner’s terrain will be added Saturday, said Jen Brown, spokeswoman for Vail Mountain.”Additional terrain and lift openings will be announced as conditions permit,” Brown said. “A winter storm is expected to move into the area over the weekend with snow predicted and temperatures expected to drop into the teens, providing excellent conditions for snowmaking,”The forecast calls for snow showers over the weekend, but no major accumulations. Eagle resident Jen Bradbury, who hasn’t bought her ski pass yet, said she can wait to get on the slopes. “I’ll wait for the first major dump of the season,” Bradbury said. Opening day celebrationsVail’s opening day festivities get underway at 8 a.m. and include complimentary coffee and muffins. Commemorative opening day bracelets and lanyards will be given away. “Vail’s new skier bridge takes center stage today,” Brown said.

A new, wider Lionshead skier bridge will be dedicated in ceremony starting at 8:30 a.m. Olympic skiers Dave and Renie Gorsuch, Cindy Nelson, Toby Dawson, Sarah Will and others, will cut the ribbon, signaling the start of Vail’s season, Brown said. The new skier bridge is the first of many projects in Vail’s so-called “New Dawn” a $500 million redevelopment of Lionshead and Vail Village, Brown said. Vail’s new bridge spans 266 feet across Gore Creek and is twice as wide as the old skier bridge, which was built in 1969. It also has a separate pedestrian path that will be open winter and summer.

Beaver Creek on SaturdayThe Centennial Express Lift will be the only lift running when Beaver Creek opens at 9 a.m., Saturday. The only run open will be the 2.2-mile Gold Dust trail, an intermediate run. No beginner’s terrain will be open. The mountain closes at 4 p.m.Through Monday, skiers and snowboarders can park for free in the Elk Lot (formerly the East Day Lot) along Highway 6 in Avon. Car will be directed to the Bear Lot (formerly the West Day Lot) when the Elk Lot reaches capacity. Staff Writer Veronica Whitney can be reached at (970) 949-0555, ext. 454 or vwhitney@vaildaily.com. Vail Daily, Vail Colorado