Vail Real Estate Blog

Friday, 04 January 2008

Real Estate News and Trends in the Vail Valley

An all-time sales record for highest residential home sale in Aspen, Colorado was established in December 2007 by Prince Bandar bin Sultan. The 14,395 square foot estate residence at 1025 N. Starwood Drive sets upon 6.6 acres, and sold to real estate developer Jeffery Soffer for a staggering $36.5 million. Completed in 2004, the home was originally intended for use by one of the Prince's daughters and features five bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, an indoor swimming pool, and more.

POSTED BY: Jo Ellen Nash AT 01:58 am | Permalink | Comments | E-mail this

Friday, 04 January 2008

Vail Valley Skiing

If you could compress all your favorite runs into just one day of skiing, what would they be? Here are just a few suggestions:

SIMBA VAIL
Vail can get somewhat busy, especially on Saturdays. The weird thing about the Simba chair is that it’s never busy. Even on holidays. And what’s even weirder is that it’s great terrain. But alongside the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin, it’s often forgotten. Simba is a long, wide run that’s great for lower intermediates and above. For snowboarders and twin-tippers, there are lots of natural jumps on the left and right of the trail.

HIGHLINE VAIL
This is Vail’s signature bump run, and it never gets groomed. A new, high-speed quad lift will allow people to ski twice as many runs in the same amount of time. But do you really think anyone can handle twice as many Highlines in a day? In mid-season form, the bumps are big — Volkswagen big. If you’re Toby Dawson or a former member of the defunct, Vail-based pro moguls tour, you can ride the zipper line. If you’re a mere mortal, take your time and try to get in a groove.

RIVA RIDGE VAIL
Riva Ridge is the longest run on Vail Mountain, and when you’re talking about the largest ski resort in North America, that’s pretty long — four miles from top to bottom. It’s an ideal route to end your day if you’re returning from the Back Bowls and heading back to the village. It’s wide, it’s steep in places, and the snow stays good. If you want to keep it mellow, skip Tourist Trap face by taking the Compromise catwalk at skier’s right. Riva Ridge is groomed frequently, and if it’s on the daily grooming report, it’s worthy of a first run of the day.

LODGEPOLE VAIL
Lodgepole is a gem among the popular groomers off of Vail’s front-side Chair 2. It starts with a sheer face where you can gather some speed and then pretend you’re Julia Mancuso as you launch off the roller below. Pop into the trees if you get bored as the trail flattens out. A bunch of trails converge halfway down the trail, so be careful. Lodgepole steepens again in Part 2 of the trail before it again converges with other trails.

GOLDEN EAGLE BEAVER CREEK
In early December, Bode Miller and Hermann Maier scream down this run at 85 mph. It’s the Birds of Prey downhill course, and it’s basically a 45-degree ice rink. The rest of the year, it’s a steep mogul run that’s one of the longest trails on Beaver Creek Mountain. If it hasn’t been groomed for a while, the moguls will be big. At the top, you can pop into the Zoom Room terrain park for a quick hit on a kicker or rail. Golden Eagle funnels down to Red Tail Camp, where you can grab a hot chocolate or a bite to eat.

RED BUFFALO BEAVER CREEK
Red Buffalo is a long, mellow run at the top of Beaver Creek. It’s groomed often, and is nice for beginners. Practice your turns on the gentle slope, where there probably won’t be a lot of people around to bother you. If you’re an intermediate, it’s a good place to practice riding switch (backwards). The snow stays great on the run because it’s at the top of the mountain.

MOONSHINE TERRAIN PARK BEAVER CREEK
Don’t forget the terrain park. Find your flow in Beaver Creek’s Moonshine park. Start with some jibs — rainbows and kinked rails. Then gather some speed and get air on the ginormous kickers. Finish strong on the quarterpipe. Or you can leave it to the bros, save your ACL and just watch. It might be a better idea to start at Park 101 or the Zoom Room higher up the mountain, which feature smaller jumps and easier rails.

Excerpt from the article "Ten Perfect Runs in the Vail Valley" by Vail Daily News contributer Edward Stoner. For the complete article, visit http://vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071217/RECREATION01/277189953&template=printart

POSTED BY: Jo Ellen Nash AT 01:48 am | Permalink | Comments | E-mail this

Thursday, 03 January 2008

Welcome to the Vail Valley Real Estate and Lifestyle Blog!

Welcome to our Vail Valley Real Estate and Lifestyle blog. The purpose of this blog is to encourage Vail valley residents and visitors to share their comments, suggestions and ideas. Here are a few ideas to get started:

* What do you love most about living in the Vail Valley?

* Special community and charity events

* Insider prospectives on topics of local or national interest

* What, if anything would you like to see changed about life in the Vail Valley?

* Newsworthy items

* Local Favorites (Hangouts, Boutiques, Coffee Houses)

* Restaurant Reviews

* Public and Private School Forums

* Ski/Golfing/Fishing Tips

* Social Group Updates

* Send photos to requests@NashVail.com for possible blog submission. (Note: Photos featuring pornography, nudity, or other offensive messages or images will not be considered and sender will be blocked from further submission by the publisher.)

* and Much, Much More!

Happy Blogging!

POSTED BY: Jo Ellen Nash AT 04:32 pm | Permalink | Comments | E-mail this