Conditions Report
Report from Sunday, January 19 – Monday, January 20, 2025
Just two and a half hours from Denver on I-70 lies Vail Mountain resort—the largest ski area in Colorado, boasting 5,317 skiable acres. Itching to ski Vail’s famous back bowls, my friend Adam and I planned a weekend here in September.
What we didn’t know at the time, however, was when that weekend arrived, the forecasted highs would be in the single digits at the base. And as any skier knows, elevation and wind only make the “feels like” temperature that much colder.
- Next time, we’ll be smarter and check the Vail forecast via SnowBrains
On the morning of Sunday the 19th, we weighed our odds while drinking coffee and waiting out the cold, debating if the turns were worth facing frigid temps. But after deciding we were both eager to rip, we layered up and faced the weather.
With a handful of exceptions, like Tea Cup and Game Creek Express, the majority of lifts serving the back bowls were closed. While there are mechanical reasons for this, the predominant reason for closure was safety; the time it would take ski patrol to retrieve an injured skier from the back bowls and transport them to a location to receive medical attention would pose a serious risk for hypothermia and frostbite in such cold temperatures.
Despite the closures, we still had loads of fun lapping runs like Ramshorn, Kangaroo Cornice, and Zot on the front of the mountain as our mustaches froze. Psss…. I only say this with my inside voice, but my favorite Zone at Vail is actually on the front side. The North Rim off of Chair #11 Northwoods Express is some of the best in-bounds terrain for technical skiers, with cliff hits ranging from a few feet to 20 feet or more.
Adam and I picked our way through the North Rim several times over our two-day stay. We loved pushing our limits, riding out big drops, and getting back on the horse after the inevitable face plant.
Despite sub-0 wind chills, proper layering and chalet breaks made the two-day trip to Vail a resounding success. With another trip lined up for mid-March, Adam and I are looking forward to returning with some warmer weather.
Conditions
Weather Outlook
