Is Vail #1?

It was in 1957 that Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton, two enterprising skiers, first discovered the majestic mountain location that became Vail.

Since the Vail Resort opened in December 1962, it has continually set the 'gold' standard for terrain, luxury accommodations, apres-ski activities and a base village that offers every imaginable amenity.

http://vail.snow.com/vail.history.asp

The front face of the mountain alone is bigger than many other Colorado resorts. Add to that the expansive back bowls and at over 5,000 acres, Vail offers a winter wonderland for all levels of skiers!


But, at 97 bucks a day lift tickets are outrageously expensive! No problem for us though as we had the Colorado Pass, which gave us 10 days of skiing at either Vail or Beaver Creek. It was so much fun to ski Vail as my sister Paula had never been there before. She loved the wide open trails!


While there are some very expensive restaurants in Vail Village, we found a reasonably priced one on the mountain. Located at 11,000 feet at the top of Chairs 3 and 7 is the Wildwood Smokehouse which offers luncheon fare ranging from chicken and wild rice soup to barbecue pork along with breathtaking views of the Gore Range.

So, is Vail #1? Well, that depends on who you ask since some surveys rank it as #1 while others rate Deer Valley in Utah as #1.

It doesn't really matter, because if you get to ski either one you'll have a memorable vacation experience!

Skiing

I had a fabulous day on the mountain -- no wind, sunny, in the 40s and wide-open groomed runs. It just doesn't get much better than that unless there were a few inches of fresh powder!

I'm so blessed - I'm spending 5 weeks skiing in Colorado, sharing a condo with my sister, Paula and her husband, Ken.

Today we skied Keystone, tomorrow Breckenridge; and next week, it'll be Vail and Beaver Creek too. Vail Resorts offers the best deal for skiers with their Colorado Pass - only $449.00 and it covers 5 resorts with just a few restrictions (http://www.coloradopass.com/).

My friend, Don, is enjoying his retirement because he's fulfilled his life-long dream of living on a ranch in Texas. His passion is riding and he gets to ride every day.

My wish for you is to find something you're passionate about because to truly succeed at retirement, you've got to find a sport or hobby that you love. How else will you fill all those spare hours since you're no longer working? If you're still looking for your passion, I strongly encourage you to talk to your friends about their interests, visit your local Senior Center or check out classes at your local Junior College.

So what are you passionate about? I'd love to hear from you about your favorite sport or hobby. Just add a comment below or send me an email to Retired.Rosie@gmail.com