We landed in Denver at 8am and rented a Jeep from AVIS. “Where’s Vail?”, we asked. “Take a left out our parking lot and go 130 miles.”

The experience really started then. The views of Denver from I70 with the mountain scenery in the background was breathtaking, but nothing compared to the views as our Jeep traveled deep into the mountains where every turn offers a new glimpse of God’s magnificent creation. When it comes to beauty, you can’t do much better than the Rocky Mountains, and the drive from Denver to Vail Village is the absolute best way to see it. We passed a few ski resorts on the way deep into the mountains. The magnificent drive peppered with road signs displaying the Colorado flag and arrows pointing to various ski resorts in every direction. But when we came upon Vail, we knew instantly we had found something unique right along I70 deep inside the Rocky Mountain ski country. Vail Village is reminiscent of a small European town with a high energy population. The town has everything that you could need for an extended ski vacation get-a-way. Here you can eat, drink, shop, relax, play, and, of course ski or snowboard and even snowmobile to your hearts delight.

We stayed at the Lodge at Vail quietly nestled in the middle of it all. Everything at the Lodge was world-class from the guest check-in complete with free snacks, fruit and candy situated throughout the lobby and gigantic fresh flowers in the public gathering areas. We took notice of the well decorated hallways featuring historic photographs, pianos, barrooms off the beaten path, and, of course, eye-watering picturesque views in every direction. The guestrooms themselves were perfect in every detail. Rustic style decorating throughout, the rooms offered benefits that you might not expect in a mountain resort. The bathrooms throughout the Lodge had separated showers from deep sunken bathtubs, complimentary Starbucks coffee makers, and free wireless internet for business people who are on the run, and of course televisions featuring both built-in VHS and DVDs, with all the cable channels that you could imagine.

Balconies of various shapes and sizes overlook the courtyard of Vail’s final ski runs. With the balcony door closed, guestrooms are like a remote get-a-way where you can relax to music, DVDs, a warm bath, or just snuggle up with a good book in a quiet sitting area. When the balcony door is open, the sounds of the lively nightlife festivities pour in.

The skiing is so vast and wide ranging that you will barely skim the surface in multiple days of skiing. The mountain is so gigantic and far-reaching that it requires two separate maps to contain all the runs, one map for the front side feeding skiers from several towns along I70….and another map for the backside with the world famous Vail ski bowls. There are plenty of green, blue, and black runs in every direction that makes it easy for people of different expertise to stay near one another while still skiing at the best suited runs.

If you chose to take a day off, Vail is still the place. Just a short drive from Vail is a flurry of other attractions most notably the Colorado Hot Springs are just a short, yet breathtaking, drive west.

What makes Vail the best is the people. Whether they are offering you gum, candy, or adult beverages on the chairlift (last day of the season) or interjecting great evening plan ideas, the visitors at Vail are the friendliest we’ve seen. We lucked out to be there for the very last weekend of the season, so the locals were especially festive and ready to close a spectacular year with flare and style. Don’t miss the top of the mountain snowball party (top of lift 4), anybody who got off the chairlift between 3pm and 4:30pm got bombarded by snowballs from fun loving skiers. Vail also has several end of season parties at the bottom and at the top of the hill. After leaving the top of the hill party, we headed to Garfinkles Tavern at the base of the Gondola in LionsHead. This was no ordinary party. It was more like a rock concert…with hundreds of dance crazy celebrators. But don’t wait till the last weekend of the year to check out Vail. It truly is the best of the best and should be your next choice for a get-a-way ski vacation.

When is comes to Top 100 Adventures, Rocky Mountain skiing, of course has to make our list. When it comes to Rocky Mountain Skiing, Vail is the place for the best of the best of everything.