The Traveler's Choice: Beaver Creek
by Gary Genovese /
Centre Court Magazine
Nestled high in the Colorado Rockies a short seven miles west of its more famous sister resort, Vail, Beaver Creek offers skiers and snowboarders a European-flavored alpine experience unparalleled in the United States. It delivers breathtaking scenery, luxury accommodations, divine cuisine and best of all, skiing and riding that will satisfy the raw beginner to the adventurous expert. It is a gem and my favorite mountain destination. Allow me to share with you the wonders of Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Beaver Creek opened its lifts on December 15, 1980 and has carved out its own unique niche in the shadows of the legendary multi-mountain resort that is now Vail. Opting for a more European-styled base village, Beaver Creek features smaller luxury lodging and a trail and lift system that never leaves you far from a lift or gondola. The resort now boasts a system of 25 lifts, which includes 10 high-speed quad chairs and 2 gondolas. To add to its European ambiance, it is the first resort in North America to offer the unique experience of village-to-village skiing: start the day in Beaver Creek Village, ski over to the magnificent Bachelor Gulch, home of the Ritz-Carlton and after a lift back up to the top of the Gulch, ski down to lovely Arrowhead Village. Each area offers its own charm and features on-mountain dining choices. While Beaver Creek seldom has the crowds that Vail does, this lift system provides you the opportunity to find your own space on the mountain.
And is there ever space to play here: 1815 skiable acres consisting of 149 trails and 4 terrain parks for different levels of experience. There is something for everyone to enjoy on these mountains: 19% of the trails are designated for beginners, while 43% are rated intermediate and 38% advanced. In fact, the Birds of Prey run has been featured many times on the World Cup ski circuit and in 2015, Beaver Creek will host the entire men's race program of the World Alpine Ski Championships. If you like your terrain challenging, you will find it here in abundance!
Getting here is fairly easy to do. Visitors have two airport options: fly into Denver International and drive or take a shuttle for the two-hour trip to the Resort, or fly into Eagle County Airport, a regional airport just 35 minutes west of the village. There are nonstop flights into Eagle (EGE) each winter from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York on airlines such as American, Continental, United and Delta. Book as soon as you can to avoid paying top-dollar but be forewarned: convenience comes at a price! Fares are much lower on airlines such as Southwest and Frontier into Denver (DEN) and you can book a shuttle ride with Colorado Mountain Express (RideCME.com) to dispense with a rental car. And once you arrive, getting around is a breeze since Beaver Creek offers a shuttle between base villages during the day and a Dial-a-Ride service from most resorts and lodges at night. Southwest continues to offer no checked-baggage fees for your first two bags if you opt to fly into Denver. Check out fares on Southwest.com and FrontierAirlines.com when you are ready to plan your trip.
Beaver Creek provides visitors a wide array of lodging choices for every budget. Beaver Creek resort is nestled in a high canyon at the base of two mountains above the town of Avon. It offers mostly luxury accommodations consisting of hotel and condominium properties, many of which are ski-in and out. A good place to start perusing your choices is on BeaverCreek.com. Virtually every property in the Beaver Creek village is a good one if within your budget, as you will be staying in luxury right on the mountain and will be steps away from a number of fine restaurants and shops. Our favorites include the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (BeaverCreek.Hyatt.com), a 190-room resort hotel sitting right at the base of the slopes and steps from the Buckaroo Express Gondola, The Osprey at Beaver Creek (RockResorts.com), a 47-room boutique hotel sitting next to the Strawberry Park Express Lift, the Elkhorn Lodge with it's own dedicated lift and The Charter (TheCharter.com), a condominium property featuring hotel rooms to 3-bedroom condos that was one of the first accommodations in the Resort. For an even more luxurious stay, consider the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch (RitzCarlton.com), a posh mountain lodge offering a variety of lodging choices for the most discriminating travelers among us. Here you will find a log-and-stone mountain paradise with a high-speed quad lift right out the back door. You will also find Wolfgang Puck's only Colorado outpost of fine cuisine, Spago. More on this fabulous dining choice later.
The lodging choices go beyond Beaver Creek village. Down in Avon alongside the Eagle River sits the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa (WestinRiverfrontBeaverCreek.com), a luxury hotel with a mountain contemporary style that features suites with their own fireplaces and sumptuous views of the surrounding peaks. Best of all, the Riverfront Express Gondola is located here affording Westin guests a quick ride up to the lifts without bothering with shuttles and parking lots. Or for a more tranquil but equally luxurious setting, consider The Lodge at Cordillera (CordilleraLodge.com), a 56-room mountain lodge sitting atop a peak of its own a short drive west of Beaver Creek. At the Lodge, you will find rustic luxury in a spectacular alpine setting and all the amenities you would expect in such a high-end property. You will also enjoy free shuttle service to the Lodge's dedicated Ski Club at Beaver Creek during your stay. We highly recommend the Westin Riverfront and The Lodge at Cordillera for any trip you take to Beaver Creek, winter or summer.
Before you finalize your lodging choice, do yourself a huge favor and go to VailOnSale.net, particularly if you are not planning to visit over the holidays or during school break weeks. This website provides lodging of all categories at huge, last-minute discounts that represent a significant cost savings over rates you will find on such sites as Expedia.com or Orbitz.com. VailOnSale.net only lists lodging available for the next two weeks so if you are not comfortable waiting to book your lodging, our recommendation is to see what rates your property of choice is currently offering on the site and call the property directly to see if they can match the rate for the dates of your visit. On a recent trip to Beaver Creek, the friendly staff at The Lodge at Cordillera did exactly that for us. We have been told by many reservations managers that calling a hotel directly is often the best way to get the lowest available rate.
If you wish to rent equipment rather than hauling your own, you may do so in advance and avoid lines and paperwork when you arrive to pick up your gear. Go to RentSkis.com and click on "Beaver Creek Resort". You can then choose among a number of locations throughout Beaver Creek to pick up your rentals, including the Westin Riverfront in Avon and in Arrowhead Village. On the other hand, if you will be bringing your own gear and flying on an airline that charges baggage fees, our suggestion is to consider shipping your ski or snowboard bag to your lodging via Federal Express, UPS or with our friends at the U.S. Postal Service. It is surely more convenient, likely not more expensive and there is no chance of your bag not making your flight or connection. One less detail to worry about is always a good thing, no?
One other pre-trip recommendation we have is to reserve a unique, on-mountain dining experience that is quintessential Beaver Creek: a sleigh ride and gourmet dinner at Beano's Cabin or Zach's Cabin. Your evening will begin with a Sno-Cat-pulled sleigh ride under the stars (or perhaps amidst the snowflakes) with a mountain guide pointing out landmarks and regaling you with the history of the mountain you are traversing. You arrive at a luxurious and intimate mountain log "cabin" for a gourmet multi-course prix fixe dinner and perhaps an after-dinner drink by the stone fireplace before your sleigh ride back (or van ride, for the more weather-challenged among us). It will prove to be a memorable evening and one of the highlights of your trip. Since these dinners are quite popular, book them in advance by calling Beano's Cabin at (970) 754-3463 or Zach's Cabin at (970) 754-6575. Beano's is located just below Grouse Mountain in the Beaver Creek Resort and the sleigh rides depart from the base area. Zach's Cabin is its newer sibling and sits in Bachelor Gulch with sleighs departing the base area at the Ritz-Carlton.
Once you arrive at Beaver Creek, you will find a level of service and attention to detail that every luxury resort should strive to achieve. Why climb stairs up to the lifts in your ski boots with skis on your shoulders when you can take the only escalators in ski country? Like your slopes groomed? Beaver Creek's Sno-Cats not only work all night to deliver that precious corduroy but return again mid-day to bring you more. And what better way to end a day of phenomenal skiing or riding than with a warm chocolate chip cookie or two served complimentary at day's end--Beaver Creek serves up nearly 500,000 of those fresh baked treats each year!
After the sun has set and you have soothed your tired muscles in the hot tub, you will be faced with quite an array of choices for your evening's dining destination. If you are staying in Beaver Creek Village, virtually every restaurant and bar is a short stroll from your door. You also have the option of calling Dial-A-Ride to take you where you want to go. One of our favorites is Spago Bachelor Gulch at the Ritz-Carlton, featuring the seasonal American cuisine of Executive Chef Mark Ferguson, with a little Asian flair thrown in. We also would not miss visiting the Gore Range Brewery in Edwards, a few miles west of Beaver Creek on U.S. Highway 6. The Brewery features several of its own hand-crafted ales and lagers that go deliciously with their wood-fired pizzas, burgers and pub grub. Over in Vail Village, our favorites are the venerable and always-superb Sweet Basil, the stylish haute cuisine of Larkspur and the traditional Italian soul food of Campo de Fiori.
Ahhh, Beaver Creek.....a magical mountain paradise that will both captivate and exhilarate you, with a good measure of pampering thrown in to seal the deal. Like us, you will want to make it your own mountain getaway, regardless of the season......and that's not a bad thing, is it?
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