Skiing Adventure: Beaver Creek, USA
Last time, we talked about skiing for two days in Breckenridge before heading on to Vail.
Drive on the road.
Yet, unsurprisingly, the unexpected still happened.
When choosing my hotel, I looked for a ski-in/ski-out property near Vail. ChatGPT recommended the Westin, so I happily headed there—only to discover upon arrival that while the Westin does offer access to the ski slopes via a gondola, it doesn’t take you directly to Vail. Instead, the gondola drops you off at Beaver Creek. Even more surprising: during the week I stayed, the lifts were already closed due to the approaching end of the ski season.
Because I tipped the parking attendant $20, he delivered my luggage and then rushed back to knock on my door, breaking the bad news—and handing me a little slip of paper listing the shuttle bus schedules from the hotel to Beaver Creek and Vail.
However, the next day I didn’t take the shuttle bus—I drove straight to Beaver Creek instead. Why? Because after arriving, I stopped by a professional snowshoe shop to have my sore, heel-pressing boots adjusted. While I was there, I also decided to rent a snowboard. Plus, the rental shop offered an edge-sharpening service, which wouldn’t be ready until the following morning. So, I figured it’d be easier to pick up the board right away and drive straight to the ski resort.
Check out the photo—first, I’ve continued renting Blizzard snowboards, and they’re actually pretty handy. Second, the snow looks almost like concrete, and sliding on it feels exactly the same way!
More bad news: due to the ski resort's impending closure, only one-third of the entire area remains open.
However, the ski resort staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming—once we reached the top of the lift, two employees immediately stepped in to ask if there was anything they could do to assist us.
I started brushing from the far left, and unexpectedly it was already past 10 a.m.—the machine-packed snow trail was especially firm.
Slide down to the leftmost Rose Bowl gondola, spot the advanced slope on the left—it looks pretty good—so start your run there.
Then I immediately regretted it—this is exactly why I mentioned earlier that it feels like walking on concrete when you slide.
Why is snow hard—tiring to glide on? Because there’s no cushioning, requiring your body to make more adjustments and control, which makes it frustrating.
Why is the snow still so hard on the mountain, even though it’s already so warm this spring? I have no idea.
Switch to the middle cable car for your ride. You’ll notice plenty of carvers here—far more than at the previous ski area.
Then the first experience arrived—before 1 p.m., carving on the slopes was really fun.
Then, from left to right, head to the No. 9 Bird of Prey cable car.
This big-pole carbine feels awesome.
This is the No. 9 cable car.
There are long, numerous little mushrooms beneath the cable car.
Take a picture of yourself looking back.
All the cable cars were brushed, and then we just skied casually.
We skied until just after 1 p.m., and by then the snow on the slopes had already started to get wet, making it less enjoyable to glide. Maybe we should head over to Daowai for a look-around instead.
Better than this morning, but still not good enough.
On the left, outside the lane; in the middle, the snow lane; and on the right, back to the lane exterior.
We wrapped up around 2:30. Today, I did 15 runs—no more, no less.
I think how much energy skiing consumes depends mainly on the vertical drop, not the distance. As for speed, even the speeds shown on mobile apps tend to be inflated—or slightly exaggerated—to appeal to users. That’s why I trust the speed reading on my Garmin more; though even so, I figure my top speed probably maxes out around 80 km/h at most.
The adjusted shoes are much better, but my left foot still feels pinched and painful—so I’m heading back to get them tweaked again. While I’m at it, I casually gave this golden retriever a quick pet for free.
Alright, that wraps up the skiing at Beaver Creek—tomorrow we’re heading to Vail.
Almost forgot to mention two things: first, the Beaver Creek ski resort is great—it’s better than Breckenridge, mainly because of its diverse terrain with plenty of varied slopes, and the lifts are clearly well-organized and easy to navigate.
Second, I feel my skiing skills have improved just a tiny bit—specifically, I’ve gained a deeper awareness of high-edge carving and counter-arching. Building on this, I’m now more attuned to shifting my center of gravity across the snowboard, which has given me greater “active” and seamless control when linking between small and medium turns. Although I don’t have video footage to prove it, I can definitely feel my legs extending and retracting naturally, allowing me to handle those tighter turns with even more precision, fluidity, and ease.
