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Just 12 miles apart, Vail and Beaver Creek are both are owned by Vail Resorts – so visitors can ski the morning at Vail and the afternoon at Beaver Creek, or vice versa, thanks to interchangeable lift tickets and a convenient shuttle bus that runs every half hour.
Allegria Spa Achy and sore from tearing up the slopes? Soothe your muscles with a rub or a soak in the aroma-therapy and mineral pools at this spa – new-and-improved after a $12 million renovation and expansion to 30,000 square feet in 2006. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, 100 E. Thomas Place; 907-748-7500; www.allegriaspa.com
Backcountry Skiing Solid skiers and boarders can carve the first tracks in out-of-bounds powder on guided tours along unmarked trails that are inaccessible by lifts. Paragon Guides; 877-926-5299; www.paragonguides.com
Beaver Creek Golf Club Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the 18-hole course is famous for its gorgeous mountain views. It’s open to the public from May to mid-June, after that it’s reserved for members only. 103 Offerson Rd.; 970-845-5775; beavercreek.snow.com/info/summer/golf.bc.asp
Beaver Creek’s Vilar Center for the Arts This 530-seat theater hosts a selection of symphonies, theater performances, dance companies, musicals, and more, year-round. 68 Avondale Lane; 888-920-2787; vilarcenter.org
Golden Peak Terrain Park One of Vail mountain’s most popular spots for airborne stunts, the Golden Peak Terrain Park comes complete with a groomed, 400-foot-long superpipe with 18-foot-walls, tabletops, rails, and jumps. Accessed by the Riva Bahn high-speed quad in Golden Peak; vail.snow.com/terrainpark/vr505.html
Mountain Biking Free-wheeling summer thrills can be had on Vail Mountain, thanks to some 20 trails open to bikers and rated from beginner to expert. The Eagle Bahn gondola will get you to most of them; rent your wheels when you arrive at Adventure Ridge. Adventure Ridge, gondola’s drop-off point; 970-476-9090; vail.snow.com/winter/ae.mtnactivities.asp
Ski Biking This daring nighttime activity entails donning a helmet (with headlamp) and hopping on - what can be described as - a bike with skis in the place of wheels on a downhill guided tour; instructions and tours start at 5pm. Adventure Ridge, 600 Lionshead Circle; 970-476-9090
Streetbeat Concert Series Every Wednesday night, mid-February through mid-April, a series of music concerts, from rock to gospel, are performed at 6pm at Checkpoint Charlie in Vail Village. Vail Village; 888-883-8245; www.vvf.org
Technique Week Guest instructors like Chris Anthony, star of 17 Warren Miller films, and Deb Armstrong, former gold medalist in the Giant Slalom, teach students during these five-night, ski-and-stay packages at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (tickets, lessons, après-ski events, and some dinners are included). Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, 50 West Thomas Place; 970-949-1234; www.beavercreek.hyatt.com