Beaver Creek: The Mountain Tackle thigh-burning bumps and thrilling steeps, lose yourself in pristine glades or cruise corduroy ‘til the sun sets. There’s something for everyone at Beaver Creek. And the best part? You can often keep your little slice of heaven to yourself. Ski or ride from village-to-village and you’ll find there’s plenty of powder (and carpet) to go around.
Grooming Beaver Creek grooms half the mountain each day. Grooming sensations Dan Ramker and Britt Bishop received top honors in the state in June 2005 for their contributions to the Colorado ski industry. Dan and Britt were named Terrain Park Master of the Year and Slope Groomer of the Year (respectively) by Colorado Ski Country, Colorado’s non-profit trade organization representing the state’s ski areas.
Beginner Terrain With 1,805 acres, the resort dedicates a significant portion of its terrain to teaching beginner skiers and snowboarders. In fact, Beaver Creek Mountain is virtually laid out upside down with most of the prime beginner runs located at the top. This layout gives beginner skiers a true "ski-down-the-mountain" experience, not to mention spectacular views of the nearby Gore Range.
Beaver Creek has a lot to explore. In fact there were so many different areas to go we didn't come close to covering them all. The resort's large size provides for some wild adventures, and even a long vacation to Beaver Creek will not leave any time for boredom.
The mountain has a very unique set up (I am referring to the area around Lift 6 and up). The harder runs are found towards the bottom of the mountain while the easier terrain is found higher up. Depending on skill level, this is a blessing or a curse. For advanced riders, it is really nice to not have to take the lift to the highest of peaks to find challenging terrain . . . time is not lost riding lifts. For less advanced riders- depending on the level- the easier runs are well kept and the view is gorgeous- perfect for slow/ learning conditions. However, while learning it is easy to get tired fast and so at the end of the day it may be a struggle to get down the mountain. There are only two green runs that take you to the bottom, Cinch and Dally. If you are learning and have limited energy, save time for a good 30 minute-plus run to the bottom. Moving on from the length, Dally and Cinch are BEAUTIFUL. They are pretty narrow runs with lots of switch backs. They are toward the ends of the property and are isolated from a lot of the other runs. This gives the affect of a cross country ski trail, or back country snowboarding. It is peaceful, gorgeous and you will feel like you own the resort if you take these runs.
For a nice change from the switchbacks- for those more advanced, there are blues and blacks that connect sections of Cinch. To make a quicker run down the mountain, the blues and blacks are in relatively short segments, so as much or a little time may be spent on them. Therefore, perfect for learners because you can do a challenging segment then catch Cinch and take a break from the blues.
On top of the peak is the Spruce Saddle, a good size lodge with plenty of seating and good food. Whether you want a cup of cocoa or a full meal, it is placed in a very convenient spot (especially since it is between the easier and harder parts of the mountain). Advanced riders can grab food then head down the mountain, while beginning riders will not have to take Dally and Cinch all the way to the bottom to get food at lunch. Rather, they can hang up top in the easies all day. Beaver Creek has a lot to offer for all stages of riders. It has a really cute village below it, including an outdoor ice rink (that scores HUGE points in my book), and there are great places to stay in Avon. It is in close proximity to Vail and Breck, too.
Beaver Creek is a great upper-class resort for riders looking to get away from the bro-brah attitudes that inhabit so many of the I-70 resorts.
Review:
We had a wonderful time kickin' it in Avon and riding at Beaver Creek. It all started with waking up in our extravagant condo/suite in Chapel Square. One of the most beautiful places I've ever stayed, I highly recommend these condos to people staying in Avon.
Once we convinced ourselves to actually leave the condo, we had an awesome time on the slopes. Like the rest of the Vail owned resorts, BC is huge. There is great variety in the runs; you can be linking turns in an open bowl one minute, then move into wide open tree runs, and end up at a impressive terrain park for some freestyle action.
The park is well cared for, featuring clean launches and plenty of landing space. There is an abundance of diverse rails, ranging from rainbows to up-at-45-degree to flat to down-at-45-degree rails, mailboxes, and anything else you could want. I'm not going to tell you where, but according to legend, hidden in the woods is a secret local hot-spot consisting of a cabin that usually has a BBQ going, and a huge swath of treeslides.
The atmosphere of Beaver Creek is different from just about any other Colorado resort. It's definitely upper-class, but it's not snooty or pretentious about it. We had a great time bumming around, but you can tell everything is a cut above.
19% 
43% 
38%
