Best Beaver Creek Ski Vacation Tips

Top photo submitted by: Daniela R.

1. One Pass, Many Mountains

The Epic Day Lift Ticket is a ski season pass granting access to Beaver Creek Mountain and another 13 area resorts with no blackout dates — no wonder it’s called “epic.” Local passes are also available with a few more restrictions.

2. Fly In, Ski Free

On the day you arrive, if you fly to Eagle County Regional Airport — the closest landing spot to Beaver Creek Mountain — and show your boarding pass to the ticket sales window at the slopes, you ski for free that afternoon.

3. Seven-days-ahead Savings

“Guests should visit Beavercreek.com at least seven days to buy passes before they plan to ski — those are the best deals,” says Heidi Johnson, concierge team leader at The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain. “That’s a good way to save on passes before you show up.” Johnson adds that, depending on the season, guests can score deals up to 25% off lift tickets.

4. A Women-Only Ski Tour

At Beaver Creek Mountain, in addition to the Meet the Mountain tour designed for all guests, there is the option of the free Women’s Social Ski Tour. It’s the chance to learn the area alongside ski instructors and ski school ambassadors. “It tends to attract women whose husbands do all the black runs and they don’t want to knock themselves silly doing that,” says Bob Barker, Beaver Creek ski school ambassador supervisor. “Maybe they’ve dropped their kids at ski school and are looking for something to do before meeting up with the family.” Barker points out that the tours are for intermediate-level skiers, but the slopes they choose will be tailored to the groups’ overall ability. Adds Barker, “We’ve also had some ski tours that have done black bump runs.”

5. Track Your Ski Stats

It’s the Fitbit of skiing, with a touch of friendly competition via social media. The lift passes at Beaver Creek look and feel more like credit cards than stickers. Thanks to RFID technology, each time you board a ski lift, the pass records your info into a site called EpicMix.com. It tracks how many runs you logged that day, your total elevation and which lifts you rode. Once you login, you can compare with friends and see which pins you’ve earned. The most sought after is the Conqueror Pin, awarded to those who ride every single lift at one resort in a day. Download the app to view the data on your phone or log on using a computer.

6. Photos of the Action

Also, thanks to the design of Beaver Creek’s ski passes, guests get action shots of their snow days. Find any of the on-mountain photographers, dressed in head-to-toe green gear, and ask them to play paparazzi. They’re stationed at all the scenic spots and other high-traffic areas, plus the ski schools. The photographers scan the tickets of everyone in the shot, then share the images as soon as possible. Photos can be viewed and purchased through an EpicMix account, but are free to share on Facebook and Twitter.

7. Ski School Time-Saver

“If you have two or three children, it’s best to go to Beavercreek.com, book ski school online, print the waivers, and have everything ready to go,” says Heidi Johnson. “You’ll save at least 30 minutes when registering in the morning.”

8. Free Shuttle Service

The town of Avon operates around-town shuttles, and one of the stops is just in front of The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain. Johnson says the shuttle starts around 8 a.m., and swings by every 15 minutes until 5:30 p.m. Then, an evening shuttle runs to Beaver Creek Village from 6 until 10 p.m. Adds Johnson, “It’s just easier, especially if you have wine or cocktails with dinner.”

9. Five-Star Dining

At Beaver Creek, one of the more upscale dinner choices is Beano’s Cabin, accessed via an open-air snow cat sleigh ride. The five-course menu changes seasonally; past season highlights have included wild salmon carpaccio and a flank of venison accompanied by a sweet corn hash.