Hank Sniadoch wrote:
One more reply .... if your girlfriend handled the greens and blues at
Steamboat, she'll have no problem with Vail.

Those making the claim that blues at Steamboat are fairly greenish - may
have been thinking of the so-called "Wally World" part of the ski
resort, which does contain very low angle blues that might be ranked
green in another place.

Vail has groomed trails on one side of their ridge, bowls which
intermediates can ski on the other side of the ridge, and then ungroomed
powder on the second ridge which is called Blue Sky Basin ..... I don't
recommend you ski Blue Sky Basin ..... but you could possibly do the bowls

Blue Sky basin has easy terrain as well as harder - there are are
low-angle trails in there. One key difference between Blue Sky Basin
and the Back Bowls is that BSB faces north, whereas the BBs face south.
This means that the BBs can have spring conditions with heavier damper
snow even in Febrary. This can make the bowls a lot harder to ski...

I wouldn't stay away from BSB just on grounds of one's skill level.
Hell, you can even get food there - just like anyplace else on Vail
mountain.

Dave

I am a fairly good skier, but a beginner (almost intermediate) boarder.
Was in Vail this past February (skiing and riding) and found the
traverses problematic (on the snowboard). I recomend you take some
time to plan where you are planning to ride or you'll likely be hiking
quite a bit.

The problem is you can't really tell accurately from the trail map
where the flats are, so you end up finding out the hard way. Maybe
some folks in this group can give you more specific advice. . .

Thanks William! I'll try to get some local knowlege when we get there.


"William" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am a fairly good skier, but a beginner (almost intermediate) boarder.
Was in Vail this past February (skiing and riding) and found the
traverses problematic (on the snowboard). I recomend you take some
time to plan where you are planning to ride or you'll likely be hiking
quite a bit.

The problem is you can't really tell accurately from the trail map
where the flats are, so you end up finding out the hard way. Maybe
some folks in this group can give you more specific advice. . .

"Sean" wrote in message
link.net...
Hi all,

Could any of you that have spent time at Steamboat and Vail shed
some light
on how the blues at each compare? I have heard that Steamboat blue
trails
would be green at most of the other slopes in CO. I'm taking the
girlfriend
to Vail in a couple of weeks and she is crossing the line between
beginner
and intermediate skiier- she had no problems with the blues at
Steamboat,
but if a
Vail blue is a little tougher I'd like to line her up with a lesson
on day
one. (Neither of us have been to Vail)

Also, for those that have ridden Vail - are the back bowls for the
extreme
boarders or could an intermediate level rider handle the terrain?

I love Vail. No end to the fun that can be found there.

I don't believe there is anything beyond an intermediate boarder.
But, that being said, I really don't think you can get to the goods
at Vail on a board. It's just not possible. But Hominids did
eventaully walk erect. No doubt boarders will eventually realize the
shortcomings of thier equipment, and convert to the one true way.

J. Urrrk, Intermediate Boarder.