Beaver Creek Resort
Encyclopedia
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
near Avon, Colorado
Avon, Colorado
Avon is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous town in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,561 at the 2000 census. Avon is the gateway to the Beaver Creek Resort which lies about two miles south of the town. It was the previous site of Vail Resorts before the...
, run by Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. runs four ski resorts in Colorado, as well as two in Lake Tahoe and a summer resort in Wyoming. They also own luxury resort hotels throughout the United States. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol MTN...
. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village
Beaver Creek, Colorado
Beaver Creek is an unincorporated community in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. Beaver Creek is located immediately south of the town of Avon and encompasses the Beaver Creek Resort and adjacent business, lodging, and residential areas. The U.S...
, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. runs four ski resorts in Colorado, as well as two in Lake Tahoe and a summer resort in Wyoming. They also own luxury resort hotels throughout the United States. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol MTN...
which also operates three other resorts in the state (Vail
Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
, Breckenridge
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort, or just Breck, is perenially one of North America's top 2 most visited ski resorts, and is located in Summit County, Colorado in the town of Breckenridge...
, and Keystone
Keystone Resort
Keystone Resort is the largest ski resort in Summit County located in Keystone, Colorado, United States. It was founded on November 21, 1970 by Max Dercum. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts which also operates three other resorts in the state and Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar...
) and Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe. It has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities...
and Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar at Tahoe
Northstar California is a year-round resort situated near the North Shore of Lake Tahoe in Placer County, California, approximately from the San Francisco Bay Area...
at Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
. Beaver Creek is a regular host of Alpine skiing World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
events.
History
Beaver Creek Resort was first envisioned by Pete SeibertPete Seibert
Peter W. Seibert was an American skier and the founder of Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. In 1980 he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame....
, co-founder and former owner of Vail Resort. In the early 1970s, Seibert tried to convince the Denver Organizing Committee to hold the 1976 Winter Olympics
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4–15, 1976 in Innsbruck, Austria...
alpine events at the yet to be built ski resort. However, when Denver backed out from holding the Olympic Winter Games in November 1972, Seibert's plans of building the resort collapsed. When Vail Associates
Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. runs four ski resorts in Colorado, as well as two in Lake Tahoe and a summer resort in Wyoming. They also own luxury resort hotels throughout the United States. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol MTN...
was purchased by Harry Bass, an oil tycoon of Golaid Oil, he continued Seibert's dream of building Beaver Creek. During the 1980–81 ski season, Beaver Creek opened along with the first hotel property, The Charter at Beaver Creek. Bass invested heavily in the resort by building a very costly state-of-the-art European village. However, he did not calculate the effect that most of the condominiums built would remain empty during the ski season, as their new owners did not need the income of renting them out, causing merchants to back out from opening up new shops.
In 1985, Bass sold Beaver Creek and Vail Associates filed for bankruptcy a few years later. In 1989, the resort hosted the World Ski Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1989
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1989 were held in Vail, Colorado, U.S.A., from February 2-12, 1989.Vail and Beaver Creek would also host the World Championships a decade later, in 1999....
, and repeated a decade later in 1999
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1999
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1999 were held in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colorado, U.S.A., from February 2-14, 1999.Lasse Kjus of Norway placed in the top two in all five events, winning two gold medals and taking three silvers. Hermann Maier of Austria won gold medals in the two speed...
. For the last several years, Beaver Creek has hosted the Visa "Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey (ski course)
Birds of Prey is a World Cup downhill ski course located at Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA. A regular stop on the men's tour, the World Cup races in Beaver Creek are usually held in early December. The course hosted the World Championships in February 1999, and is scheduled again for 2015...
" World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
downhill ski races early in the season.
Beaver Creek Golf Course
The resort is known for its upscale family-oriented accommodations, terrain and a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. Golf Course. The Beaver Creek Golf Club, nestled against the slopes of Beaver Creek Mountain, is one of the longest established golf courses in the Vail Valley. Opened in 1982, the course is known for its long and narrow challenging fairways, and its stunning scenery.Recently, Beaver Creek has worked to re-shape all of the bunkers on the course, aligning them more closely with their original design, and in the process installing a new drainage system and new sand for better playability. Additionally, the clubhouse restaurant, formerly known as Holden's, has undergone a face lift and reopened as the Rendezvous Club.
Workforce
The town hires extensively from the East CoastEast Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
and South America to fill its large seasonal employee rosters. Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. runs four ski resorts in Colorado, as well as two in Lake Tahoe and a summer resort in Wyoming. They also own luxury resort hotels throughout the United States. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange, symbol MTN...
(formerly Vail Associates) is the corporation that owns the mountain at Beaver Creek. It also operates Breckenridge
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort, or just Breck, is perenially one of North America's top 2 most visited ski resorts, and is located in Summit County, Colorado in the town of Breckenridge...
, Keystone
Keystone Resort
Keystone Resort is the largest ski resort in Summit County located in Keystone, Colorado, United States. It was founded on November 21, 1970 by Max Dercum. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts which also operates three other resorts in the state and Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar...
, Heavenly
Heavenly Ski Resort
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California-Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe. It has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities...
, Vail Mountain
Vail, Colorado
The Town of Vail is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort, with which it was originally conceived...
, and Northstar at Tahoe.
Holy Cross Wilderness Area
Beaver Creek Resort is adjacent to the Holy Cross WildernessHoly Cross Wilderness
The Holy Cross Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in San Isabel and White River national forests near Leadville, Minturn, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, and Vail, Colorado. The wilderness with of trails was established in 1980. The wilderness was named after its highest peak, Mount of the...
in White River National Forest
White River National Forest
White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through it. It also contains the Flat Tops Wilderness Area, largely considered the birthplace of the U.S...
. Beaver Lake Trail
Beaver Lake Trail
Beaver Lake Trail is in the northwestern Sawatch Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Holy Cross Wilderness north of Grouse Mountain in Eagle County. Beaver Lake Trail is south of Interstate 70, near Avon and Edwards. Beaver Lake Trail is located...
passes through Beaver Creek Resort, beside Beaver Creek. Beaver Lake Trail crosses the wilderness area boundary immediately before reaching Beaver Lake. Beyond Beaver Lake, Beaver Lake Trail
Beaver Lake Trail
Beaver Lake Trail is in the northwestern Sawatch Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado. It is located in the Holy Cross Wilderness north of Grouse Mountain in Eagle County. Beaver Lake Trail is south of Interstate 70, near Avon and Edwards. Beaver Lake Trail is located...
ascends south to Turqoise Lakes and Grouse Mountain.
Elevation
- Base: 8100 ft (2,468.9 m)
- Summit: 11440 ft (3,486.9 m)
- Vertical Rise: 4040 ft (1,231.4 m)
Developed Terrain
- Mountains: 4 (Beaver Creek, Grouse Mountain, Larkspur Bowl, Arrowhead Mountain)
- Skiable Area: 1815 acres (7.3 km²)
- Trails: 149 total (19% beginner, 43% intermediate, 38% expert/advanced)
- Longest Run: Centennial
- Terrain ParkTerrain parkA terrain park is an outdoor area that contains terrain that allows skiers and snowboarders to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. One of the first in-bounds terrain parks was the "Snowboard Park" built in 1990 at the Vail...
s: 4 - Half-pipeHalf-pipeA half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, skiing, freestyle BMX, and inline skating. The structure is wood, concrete, metal, earth, or snow. It resembles a cross section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps , topped by copings and...
s: 1 - Average Snowfall: 310 inches (787.4 cm) annually