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Vail Frontside Trail Map
Vail Backside Trail Map
The backside at Vail is nearly all black runs interrupted by a few blues that are mainly catwalks. Vail’s backside is for experienced skiers. While there are several blues on Blue Sky Basin and there is access to Blue Sky from here, just keep the terrain in mind when travelling with less than expert skiers.
Sun Down Bowl. This is far skier’s right, a self-contained bowl that is 100% black diamond. There are 11 different runs in the Sun Down Bowl, and they all funnel into the High Noon Lift.
Sun Up Bowl. The Sun Up Bowl is one peak over to skier’s left from Sun Down. Another 10 or so black runs in this bowl, and all the runs funnel down into the High Noon Lift. (Get it? sun up, sun down, high noon??) Anyway, there is the Sun Up Lift that is in the middle of the Sun Up Bowl that can take you out of the whole Sun Up/Down area further skier’s left into the Tea Cup Bowl and China Bowl. There is also a sneaky liitle catwalk called Sleepytime that runs along the edges of Sun Up and Tea Cup Bowl. This catwalk is a very long, leg-burning run that will take you back to Blue Sky Basin.
Tea Cup & China Bowl. Tea Cup is just a half face full of black runs, but the China Bowl is a full bowl that is about 2/3 black runs and 1/3 blue. You will need to either access the blues from the top or by skiing down into China Bowl and taking the Orient Express Lift up, as the blues are on the far skier’s left side. The bottom of China Bowl provides access to Blue Sky Basin.
Siberia Bowl. On the extreme skier’s left is the Siberia Bowl, which has about a half dozen wide open black runs and a long, meandering blue run around the perimeter called Silk Road. No matter which run you take here, you will always have to get some leg burn on the catwalk back to the Orient Express Lift.
Blue Sky Basin trail map
Blue Sky Basin will not disappoint. Tree skiing, chutes, cliffs, and some backcountry feel, this will definitely not feel like the rest of Vail in spirit or terrain. There are two lifts that provide access from the bottom of China Bowl: Skyline & Pete’s Express. There are also two bowls here: Earl’s and Pete’s. We want to party with those guys.
Skyline Express. This is the main lift into Blue Sky Basin, with access to restrooms and food/drink at Belle’s Camp. This is the place to bring your lunch. Most people have packed it in, and they lounge about like lion’s after a kill, storing up carbs for the bottom half of the day. It can get crowded, but everyone is in a good mood up here. There are open grills, where weary skier’s warm PB&Js and their fingers. (They don’t eat their fingers.) Skyline offers the most access, which makes it the better lift to take in most sections.
The far skier’s left side has some glades with some big steeps, and typically very deep, mostly untouched snow. My buddy Cole tore his MCL back here on the Champagne Glade. He made a weird noise when it happened. We don’t talk about that.
Pete’s Express Lift. This gives you access to the other half of Pete’s Bowl that you can’t reach from the Skyline Lift. A couple of hard turning blacks on skier’s left and a few long blues on the other side. There’s not as much over here, but it’s worth it.
And then there’s Cloud 9, my all time favorite run on any hill anywhere in the world. It starts in the trees and funnels you into a shoot with people entering from all sides and from all levels. It’s like a video game.
It takes a long time to get back to Blue Sky from the base areas, so it usually shuts down early–around 315–to make sure everyone has enough time to get back. So keep this in mind if you are planning to go. And you should.
Vail has 5,289 skiable acres, more than any other resort in Colorado. It is easy to get lost. Vail trail maps (the folding ones) are available at every lift and there are huge billboard maps at some of the big ones. (I’m sure you can also pull one up on your phone, but you’ll have to take off your gloves.) Please, stick a map in your pocket. Yes, of course, for safety, but also it’s just so much work to get back to the trail from lost, and it just takes so much time away from what you came there to do, and it can all be avoided if you just carry a frickin vail trail map! We ask so little. Don’t you want us to be happy?
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