{"type":"resort","slug":"vail-mountain-co","name":"Vail","country":"United States","country_code":"US","state":"CO","canonical_url":"https://sknow.live/resort/vail-mountain-co","content":{"summary":"Vail is one of Colorado’s largest destination ski resorts, located in Eagle County with a base in the town of Vail. The terrain spans wide groomers and extensive back-side areas, offering enough variety to support long trips and mixed-ability groups. It’s a strong choice for travelers who want a full-scale resort experience with a well-developed town and lots of terrain to explore over multiple days.","description":"Vail is built around breadth, flow, and famous open terrain. With 5,317 skiable acres, 275 trails, and 3,450 feet of vertical, it delivers the kind of full-scale destination skiing that invites long, all-day mileage. The front side has the groomed network and lift infrastructure that keep intermediates happy, while the balance of 147 black trails points to how much expert terrain is also in play. Riva Ridge, the longest run at 4 miles, gives Vail one of the classic top-to-bottom descents in Colorado. But the mountain’s real signature is not one trail. It is the sheer spread of terrain and how many ways there are to move across it.\n\nThe resort runs 33 lifts, including 2 gondolas and 14 high-speed quads, and averages 354 inches of snowfall. Its summit reaches 11,570 feet, the base sits at 8,120 feet, and access is relatively easy for a large Colorado destination resort: about 0.8 hours from Eagle County Regional Airport and roughly 2 hours from Denver. Snowmaking covers only 9% of the mountain, but Vail has recently expanded that system with automated fan guns to help open higher-elevation terrain earlier in the season.\n\nWhat defines Vail in skier memory, though, is the Back Bowls. They are the mountain’s most famous terrain for good reason: expansive, treeless, high-alpine lines that feel very different from conventional frontside resort skiing. Vail’s origin story also matters. Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton modeled the resort after European ski areas they studied while serving in the 10th Mountain Division during World War II, and that influence still shows in the resort’s village identity and overall ambition.  ","content_generated_at_utc":"2026-02-11T19:31:35.456Z"},"forecast":{"snow_10d_cm":2.24,"snow_24h_cm":0,"snow_past_24h_cm":0,"snow_past_7d_cm":7.21,"daily_snow_cm":[0,0,0.14,0.14,0.07,0,0,0.42,0.42,1.05],"daily_time":["2026-04-05","2026-04-06","2026-04-07","2026-04-08","2026-04-09","2026-04-10","2026-04-11","2026-04-12","2026-04-13","2026-04-14"],"past_daily_snow_cm":[0,0,0,1.4,1.05,4.76,0],"past_daily_time":["2026-03-29","2026-03-30","2026-03-31","2026-04-01","2026-04-02","2026-04-03","2026-04-04"],"last_updated":"2026-04-05T05:29:08.558Z"},"passes":[{"id":"epic","name":"Epic Pass"}],"nearby_resorts":[{"slug":"arapahoe-basin-ski-area-co","name":"Arapahoe Basin","country":"United States"},{"slug":"aspen-highlands","name":"Aspen Highlands","country":"United States"},{"slug":"aspen-mountain-co","name":"Aspen Mountain","country":"United States"},{"slug":"beaver-creek-resort-co","name":"Beaver Creek","country":"United States"},{"slug":"breckenridge-ski-resort-co","name":"Breckenridge","country":"United States"}],"webcams":{"has_webcams":false},"is_gold":true,"generated_at_utc":"2026-04-05T09:32:20.723Z"}