cover story
FA MILY TIME
ABOVE: Warm
up around the fire pit at Adventure Ridge. RIGHT: Beaver Creek's plaza is built around an outdoor skating rink.
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VAIL VALLEY HOME | april 2013
“Hey, would you like to help me tell a story?” Hall asked. When the boy agreed, he lifted him onto the ledge of the stage and began to tell a story about a boy who loved to eat pancakes. Hall peppered the story generously with the word “pancake,” each time letting the boy say the word into the microphone. Of course, the little boy lived happily ever after, eating — that’s right — “PanCakes.” The story entertained about 60 spectators. “Little things like that happen all the time,” Hall said about his time with kids at Beaver Creek. “Those type of moments, you can’t (force). You have to have the right situation, the right atmosphere, the right scenario.” Hall “sets the stage,” so to speak, for the magic to happen, but only authentic love for kids allows “buy in.” “Vail and Beaver Creek
sincerely want to help families have a good time,” Hall said. “They have a long-term commitment to do it, to do it well and to do it consistently for the life of their resort.” Over President’s Weekend, Hall witnessed a group of 30 Russians screaming “Yea, USA!” and taking pictures with the Prezfest characters, including Teddy Roosevelt and Uncle Sam. Now Hall is gearing up for Springfest, which begins with Irish music and dancers celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and continues with oversized flowers and giant ladybugs and spiders on stage. The second week harkens back to simpler days, when hula hoop contests, pie eating and water balloon tosses ruled the day. The festival ends with the Easter Bunny and a huge Easter egg hunt. Even when festivals aren’t taking place, Beaver Creek’s central village makes it conducive to
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACK AFFLECK, VAIL RESORTS, INC.