That Time We Went to Beaver Creek

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Last February, back in 2020, right before all the Covid-19 madness really hit the U.S. and life and travel changed so much for everybody. Tom and I are both avid skiers. I’m Denver born and raised, and grew up skiing in Winter Park and Eldora, Colorado. Tom’s from the East Coast, and is not quite as advanced as I am, but still a very good skier. Tom skied with his folks mostly in Vermont at sugar Bush and Stove.

Tom and I had been together for nearly 6 months at that point, and we had talked about taking a little ski trip, but work commitments and other affairs simply kept us too busy. So, while we were out enjoying some sushi at our favorite local spot, the conversation had once again turned to skiing and how much we love it. Then, to my complete bafflement, Tom dropped a bomb on me when he said that he had never skied in the Rockies, after having lived in Denver for over 4 years!

Rocky Mountains vs East Coast

“WHAT?!” – my head almost exploded when he said those words…. I really could not believe my ears. After all, here is a man who claims to love to ski. I’ve seen all the photos of him in his younger days on the slopes (he looked real fit); and now it comes to my attention that he has not set foot on Rocky Mountain snow.

I didn’t know whether to be sad or excited at the prospect of showing him what he has been missing out on all this time. I went with the later option.

“Alright Tom, we’re going to Beaver Creek or Vail next weekend, and that’s final!” – and I wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer.

Luckily, it didn’t take much convincing to get Tom to agree that we needed to do this. I have some friends with time shares in both places (Vail and Beaver Creek), and after a few awkward phone calls (some of those guys I haven’t talked with in years), I did manage to get us a condo for three nights in Beaver Creek.

We both work flexible jobs, so time off work wasn’t an issue. I had plenty of ski gear, and we’re both similar builds so equipment wasn’t going to be a problem either.

Time for an Adventure

WOW – I couldn’t believe I was going to be the one to show Tom just what skiing in the Rockies is like. I have been skiing in Vermont a few times…. no offence to East Coasters - but there’s just no comparison. Once you experience the snow, the runs and the terrain we have in Colorado, you quickly realize that you simply had no idea what real skiing was back in the East.

So, the following Thursday, we packed up my 4Runner with ski gear, some nice clothes for hitting the town at night, a case of wine (I know, I know), and off we went from Denver to Beaver Creek down I70, and into the Rocky Mountains.

It’s a beautiful drive once you get through the Eisenhower tunnel and into Summit County. The Rockies are on full display in all their splendor.

Driving through Silverthorne, then Frisco, then Copper is not too exciting, and I could tell that so far, Tom wasn’t really all that impressed (he had no idea what awaited)

Lunch in Vail

When we got to Vail, I could see his eyes light up. I decided this might be a good place to grab some lunch, so we hit one of the best restaurants in town: “Sweet Basil”

Walking through Vail Village, I could see that Tom was starting to “get it”. Vail is a world class resort. There’s a reason it’s considered one of the very best on this planet. It truly is a magical experience strolling down those warmed coble stone streets and all those exclusive designer boutiques and just people watching all the rich and fabulous.

Lunch was fantastic obviously ? We got back in the car, and Tom asked why we didn’t just stay in Vail…. ohh, you will see my friend, you will see.

Avon, is just a 15 minute drive from Vail, and once we got off the Avon exit and drove through town, we approached the grand entrance for Beaver Creek. If you’ve never been here, well, let me tell you – it’s an incredible site.

Mountain Splendor

A very impressive entrance with several uniformed attendants greet you and ask if they can help you with finding a residence or restaurant (and keep the rift raft away also). Once you clear the gate, a winding road goes up the mountain lined with castle like architectural formations and all the flags of the world proudly flying from 10 foot polls attached to the walls of these formations.

You really do get a very big sense of grandeur and opulence as soon as you drive in.

We drove up to St James Place where my friend had arranged for the keys to be left for us at the from desk.

“Well, Tom…. What do you think so far?” I asked with a slight grin.

“I think I’m going to like it here!” he replied with a wide smile.

This is all before we even got on the mountain the following day.

Skiing in Beaver Creek

Skiing in Beaver Creek is like nothing else on Earth. The conditions and the terrain are just as good, if not better than in Vail, but it’s far less crowded, and there’s something just a little more magical about it.

Compared to East Coast snow, the Rockies provide lush, soft, beautiful powder that make skiing so much fun. It’s hard to express the difference between the two, but not to sound too cliché; it really is like night and day.

We spent an incredible weekend in Beaver Creek, and at the end of it, Tom said he would never bother skiing the East Cost again, and wanted to know when the condo might be available again… so I think my plan worked!

Until the next time my friends,

I’m DenverGuy

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