A Tale of Two Ski Resorts - Aspen & Vail
A Tale of Two Ski Resorts - Aspen and Vail Colorado
by Margaret Malsam
Aspen and Vail boast some of the best skiing in the world, but winter isn't the only season to visit. The cities boast a unique blend of history, culture, festivals, sports, restaurants and music, which makes these famous Colorado towns very special world-class resorts. Famous celebrities flock to Aspen and Vail to ski in the winter and to vacation in the summer. Who knows what famous celebrity you might bump into walking down the street.
These two ski resort giants are as different as salt and pepper. Aspen dates back to the silver mining days in the late 1800s, and Vail was born as a European-style ski village in the '60s. Both contribute handsomely to Colorado's colorful reputation. The late John Denver, a favorite son of Aspen, immortalized "Colorado, Rocky Mountain High" in song and spirit.
People-watching in Aspen and Vail is free entertainment, but that's only a portion of the free things to do in these towns, including outdoor concerts, musicians and festivals on the mall and streets, dance performances, window shopping, lecture series, gallery exhibitions and walking tours.
Restaurants run the gamut -- from inexpensive fare at Aspen's historic Red Onion and Vail's The Daily Grind to gourmet dining at "in" spots such as the Little Nell in Aspen and Sweet Basil in Vail. Search For: Aspen Restaurants or Vail Restaurants
For sports other than skiing in these mountain villages, there's rafting, mountain biking, jeeping, horseback riding, paragliding and ballooning. If you like fishing, some of the best trout fishing in Colorado lies near these two towns.
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ASPEN
Aspen offers a depth and breadth of entertainment in music, drama and arts. The town hosts world-renowned artists, dance festivals, community theater, the Aspen Filmfest, arts and crafts fairs, workshops for writers, photographers and artists.
Hotel Jerome, an old Aspen landmark in the National Register of Historic Places, is a showplace of Rocky Mountain history. Its original Victorian opulence has been recaptured by a magnificent restoration.
If you yearn for a movie and some good popcorn, Aspen has two year-round movie theaters, plus the Wheeler Opera House and Paepcke Auditorium, which features foreign films. The Aspen Historical Society's Wheeler-Stallard House Museum offers a wonderful exhibit on Aspen's history. Art lovers can browse through any of Aspen's 35-plus galleries, plus the esteemed Aspen Art Museum. Visitors can take free tours of the old Wheeler Opera House. The Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall hosts symphonies, chamber music, choral, opera and jazz performances.
The Anderson Ranch Arts Center in nearby Snowmass Village displays works of famous artisans. And nationally known artists lead workshops in crafts and visual arts.
VAIL
Vail Valley recently hosted the World Alpine Ski Championships this past winter on its renowned international course on Vail Mountain and the newly completed Birds of Prey course at nearby Beaver Creek.
Even before the snow melts on North America's largest ski mountain, this Alpine-style village is blooming with color -- mainly from the town's many hanging flower baskets. One of the most colorful places in Vail is the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, which contains more than 1,500 native and mountains species of plants.
At the Gerald Ford Amphitheater, visitors can be entertained with classical concerts, popular music and dance performances. The New York City Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet perform here.
Colorado Ski Museum, which contains the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame, details the history of skiing. Those who have helped Colorado make great advances in the sport of skiing have been inducted into its prestigious gallery. Visitors can see many skiing innovations, such as leather lace-up boots of yesteryear which didn't offer much comfort or protection against the wet, frigid weather of the high country.
Nearby Beaver Creek has opened its Vilar Center for the Arts. Designed after a turn-of-the century theater in Munich, it combines creative, underground architecture with classic, curved seating for an intimate atmosphere. The Vilar Center's lobby showcases collections of public art.
For more information on any of these major resorts:
Aspen info: 800/26-ASPEN
Snowmass info: 800 SNOWMASS
Vail Valley info: 800/525 3875
