* While well-traveled, the Minturn Mile is still considered backcountry, and adventurers should take precautions, bring supplies and know the trail. Go with someone who has done the route and make sure to tell others where you’re going. Due to the flatter portions of the route, snowboarders should be warned there might be some walking involved. McCoy Park 03 Most ski resorts have some sort of Nordic park, and it’s often found at the base of the hill. Not so Beaver Creek’s McCoy Park. Located at the top of Strawberry Park Express, the serene loops of crosscountry and snowshoe trails come in green, blue and black varieties, just like traditional downhill ski runs. With unending views and extreme quiet, it’s an unforgettable experience.
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Moonlight Snowshoe Once the sun hits the hay and the moon is on the rise, a whole different set of animals begins to come out of the woodwork. There is an irresistible lunar effect between the moon and the snow, which works as a multiplier. The moon casts off a little bit of light, and the snow reflects it back more powerfully than it was before. It makes it easier to see a magical, black-and-white world. Regular moonlight snowshoes are run out of the Nature Discovery Center at Adventure Ridge, as well as through TrailWise Guides.
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Fly Fishing There’s something about snowy banks and ice-crusted rocks that makes fishing seem… out of season. Not so. For the truly dedicated, or simply the curious, fly-fishing trips are offered year-round in the Vail Valley. Head out to chase trout with a guide from Minturn Anglers or the Gore Creek Fly Fisherman.
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Snowmobiling Whether you call them sleds, snow gos or snowmobiles, they’re powerful machines that can speed you through the powder and into the backcountry. Two outfits, Nova Guides and Sage Outdoor Adventures, have access to hundreds of acres of National Forest trails, some of which head straight for the Continental Divide.
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Word to the wise: though the machines do most of the work, they’ll put some demands on your upper-body muscles as they dip up and down in the snow. That just means you’ve earned whatever decadent dinner you go for at the end of the day. Blue Sky Barbecue Blue Sky Basin is a world unto itself, with pillows of powder and — hopefully — bluebird skies. It’s a tradition for Vail locals to plan some kind of picnic at Blue Sky over the course of the season. Though some groups haul up whole pigs to roast on the free-for-all barbecues, others prefer something more demure, like a bratwurst and a bit of bubbly. Either way, it’s a fun and unforgettable experience.
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Powder day on the Minturn Mile. this page Cross-country skiing at Beaver Creek’s McCoy Park; snowmobiling on Vail Pass; snow biking at dusk from Adventure Ridge.
P H OTO S by D o m i n i q u e Tay lo r , K r i st i n A n d e r so n a n d C h r i s McL e n n a n
Ski biking At Adventure Ridge, folks can straddle a bike that has skis instead of wheels, and strap into specialized skis themselves to cruise from Eagle’s Nest to the base of the hill. Ski biking isn’t so much skiing or biking as it is flying. Flying. Whipping around corners and swooshing down the hill, time slows down and you speed up.
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