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I am quite a good skier, I guess you’d say, intermediate, and so is my partner. We want a vacation that combines our love of skiing and fun for our kids too. They are aged 6 and 4 and we have chosen Vail for our break because it caters well for young kids. The Vail Ski Resort, is the largest in the country and that means there is lots of space. I can’t wait to get out on that powder snow. Vail also gets a lot of sunshine, so it seems the perfect destination. We intend to spend a few days skiing and the rest of the time exploring the town and joining in with the family activities. Whilst we ski, the children will go to the child care center at the Golden Peak Nursery where staff will provide them with lunch and snacks, and activities.

The mountaintop adventure center, Adventure Ridge, is definitely on our itinerary. The children will love the long tubing runs and our eldest, (there is an age restriction), will get a buzz from riding a mini snowmobile on the kids’ track. The bouncing harnessed bungee trampoline looks thrilling. I may be brave enough to tackle it. At least, it looks less scary than ordinary bungee jumps.



We’ve never been ice skating as a family before and the Dobson Ice Arena is the perfect place to start. My husband and I can skate a little and we can rent skates there, so there’s no hassle. Our children have never tried and the arena runs a Story Time Skating program. It’s a great idea for introducing kids to the ice, which can be a bit daunting sometimes. The story part is free and it lasts an hour at the Town of Vail library. This is followed by a skating lesson at the arena. It should be fun and a way of making new friends, and if they enjoy it, we can skate together and they can show off their new skills.



Vail has its own unique version of Mardi Gras and we’ll be there to join in the celebrations at what they call their Carnivail, a neat play on words. Carnivail is on the 14th, February 2010 to 16th, February 2010 and it involves a Fat Tuesday parade through the village, a free concert, and a Crawfish Boil at the top of the gondola.

Walking in snowshoes under a full moon, enjoying the silence and the stars over the mountains is one of the activities I’m most looking forward to. The Gore Range Nature Discovery Center organizes Moonlight Snowshoe Tours and supplies the snowshoes. The guides are experts on astronomy and on the local nocturnal animals. It will make a change from whizzing down the mountain and we’ll be able to take in details.

The history of how skiing developed is a fascinating one and we plan a visit to the Colorado Ski Museum. It’s got a Hall of Fame and memorabilia from the Olympic Games and World Cups, including vintage posters. We’ll probably bring back a souvenir from the shop, which sells skiing themed ornaments, puzzles, and DVDs.

Vail is well known for its numerous hiking trails and we’ve chosen quite an easy one, called the Bighorn Creek Trail, which is a 4 mile hike that goes through the scenic Vail Valley. Weather permitting; it should be a pleasant way of seeing the local flora and fauna in all its winter glory. We may decide to hire some bikes, weather permitting, and explore one of the many mountain biking trails in the area too.



We’ve picked out a couple of possible accommodation options, just have to decide between them now. Both have a free shuttle service to the village. One is the Vail Run Resort, a resort with terrific on site amenities, such as a whirlpool, heated outdoor pool, sauna, fitness center, beauty salon, and a game room. We could rent a 3 Bedroom / 2 Bathroom condo with satellite television, a DVD player, a full kitchen, and a fireplace. The other is the Westwind at Vail Condominiums, which has outdoor hot tubs and a pool, a laundromat, and barbecue grills to slap some steaks on. The 2 Bedroom / 2 Bathroom units sleep 6 and they have a full kitchen, a fireplace and a private balcony to sit and breathe in that mountain air. Whichever we choose, I may never want to go home again!

I’m really excited about our active vacation in a place with gorgeous scenery and all the amenities we could want. Vail rocks!

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