CVOA Spends a Week at Vail

BY PETE WESTON

“Bowl after bowl after bowl!” That’s how John Pease described the place after the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association’s annual western ski trip took 45 people to Vail, Colorado. While they could have used more fresh snow, there was plenty of base, and the 24/7 grooming was unbelievable. To see 10 groomers all working in tandem to groom a trail is impressive. During the week the mountains did receive several inches of fresh snow, which was fun to play in. Quite a few in the group headed over to Beaver Creek, a 20-minute ride from Vail. Martha Drury and Michelle Amoroso really enjoyed their day at Beaver Creek, especially the history of the area where the 10^th Mountain Division trained.

The trip was run by Dick Foote who did a great job of coordinating the trip starting at the bus station in Portsmouth, NH early in the morning, and ending back at the same place 7 days later. When asked for his thoughts on the trip he replied, “Fantastic trip, fantastic group, just needed more Pow!”

Vail is one huge resort with an amazing number of modern lifts (too many according to Joe Loughran!). Neal Trask loved the variety in the terrain, and all of it was great skiing. Everything from the 4 mile long perfectly groomed Reva Ridge trail to “Steep and Deep”, a glade in Pete’s Bowl which Peter Weston and Duff Doherty jumped into and found to be a thrill. The weather started off sunny and warm the first day, but turned very cold in the middle of the week. The temperature was -28°F one morning. Of course the hardy Sugarloafers were out on the slopes just the same. The snow conditions were fantastic and none of the locals were out skiing, so the CVOA members practically had the place to themselves! Several in the group will remember one lift ride up the Tea Cup Express as it was snowing and blowing so hard the visibility was at a minimum. But other than that one time, the wind was not a factor all week.

Jan Doherty said, “ Awesome ski trip, just needed a little more fresh snow!” Of course it had to snow the day the group pulled out of Vail, making it real tough to leave. There were no major injuries, just a sore back from lifting luggage on the way out, and a pulled muscle while putting on ski boots one morning.

This was the first ski trip out West for a few of the group, and the first CVOA ski trip for others. John Marden, on his first CVOA trip, said “We made lots of new friends this week. Can’t wait to do it again!”

Everyone was impressed by the amenities at the resort, from staff people handing you a Kleenex as you walked into the on-mountain restaurants to the bathroom doors being made out of something besides plywood. And the lifts all started on time and all of them worked!

The group stayed in beautiful condos at the Lionhead Village, within an easy walk to the gondola. There are acres of heated stone walk ways between beautiful shops, restaurants, and hotels, making the stroll through the village magical, especially while it was snowing. In the middle of the village is a skating rink that anyone can use. While things tend to be more expensive in a resort town such as this, there were plenty of good pubs and rib joints to eat at without breaking the bank. One place had a photo of Tuckerman’s on the wall and lots of Red Sox photos. Obviously a New Englander who moved west owns the place. At night, the resort runs the gondola up to the summit until 9 pm. Several CVOA’ers enjoyed the surreal ride up and down the mountain.

Rick Chenard said it best. “Good people, good friends, great trip. I will be back!”