March 31st - Vail, Colorado

This is the first of our two full days here in Vail, although to be accurate I should say Avon, a town about 9 miles west of Vail.

We woke up to falling snow and a layer of snow covering the ground.

Good weather for Bob who was taking to the Vail ski slopes with Leejun. Myself, Wendy and Thelma were having a less strenuous day of looking at the sights of Vail and then taking the gondola up to the top of the mountain to join Bob and Leejun for lunch at the exclusive Game Creek Club.

We drove the 13 miles into Vail, parked the car in a vast underground car park and then headed for the centre and the shops. Vail is a very pretty modern town that is right on top of the ski slopes. A walk of no more than a couple of hundred yards takes you from the car park to the ski lifts.

It is the largest ski area in the US having over 5,000 acres of ski runs. There are ski lifts to take you everywhere over the mountains and the Vail ski area is one of the most popular in the US.

The shops are typical of ski resorts - ski shops, designer clothing, jewellery, real estate and high class restaurants. After an hour of looking, and not much buying, we took the gondola up to the top of the mountain. From the gondola station at the top we took a snow cat for the final mile to the Game Creek Club.

Sited in the middle of many ski runs and beautiful snow covered mountains, the Club is a wonderful place to have lunch. Bob and Leejun arrived after us, having had near perfect skiing conditions. Leejun took the picture below of Bob on the slopes, waiting for Chair 4.


A group photo taken in front of the Game Creek Club with Bob & Leejun about to set off down the slopes and the rest of us to take the Snowcat back to the gondola and then down to Vail.

Bob & Leejun had a further hour's skiing before we all went shopping in the town.

The day was rounded off with afternoon tea in the Sonnealp Resort Hotel.

Tomorrow we are being taken by Leejun for a day trip to Aspen, a two hour drive away from Vail.