East Vail, Colorado

Painted in 2020

If you’re a skier who hasn’t heard of Vail, it might be time to get out from under whatever rock you’ve been hiding behind. But Vail isn’t just the expansive resort, it’s also home to some of the best lift accessible backcountry terrain in the United States. And most of those runs exist in the area termed “East Vail”. The East Vail chutes drop from gates outside Vail Ski Area down to the small town of East Vail. They’re easily accessible from the lift, but as soon as you exit those gates, you’re skiing backcountry terrain that hasn’t been bombed or controlled for avalanches in any way. That means you’re more likely to get fresh tracks, and find powder stashes long after a storm, but you’re also taking risks that you need to be fully prepared for. Anyone skiing the East Vail area needs avalanche rescue gear, the training to know how to use it, and a good idea of the avalanche problem and forecast for any given day. Armed with those tools. East Vail can deliver some of the best turns you’ll ever make.