Those are just some of the developments at the following major Western ski resorts.
Colorado
Beaver Creek: Opening this season is “The Ranch,” a state-of-the-art children's ski and snowboard school designed to "revolutionize" the way kids learn to turn.
The 4,000-square-foot center at the top of the Buckaroo Express Gondola is surrounded by beginner learning terrain. Its picture windows allow parents to discreetly view their children as they learn to ski and ride on customized slopes designed to facilitate the correct body movements.
The upscale ski resort will have healthy and fresh food options at lunchtime especially for children. All natural meat, organic dairy and a yogurt bar will be served as part of Vail Resorts' Appetite for Life initiative. The Ranch is a key part of Beaver Creek's commitment to offer a top family ski resort vacation.
New, automated snowmaking will be added to high-traffic areas and energy-efficient towers will be installed to reduce the amount of compressed air needed for operation. The work is part of a five-year snowmaking automation and upgrade plan that began last year.
New Mexico
Taos Ski Valley: The ski resort has finally decided to welcome snowboarders last March 19.
New this season is the North American, a new double black-diamond run that will be accessed near the top of Lift One. It drops 1,400 vertical feet and flows into the return trail. It is the first terrain expansion in many years.
The Burroughs, a new 400-foot beginners' area with a moving carpet for novice skiers and snowboarders, will open this season also.
Utah
Deer Valley: Deer Valley Resort is the place to go, if you want to be pampered on a ski resort vacation, but be prepared to pay for it.
The ski resort, less than an hour's drive from the Salt Lake City airport, offers luxurious amenities, such as ski valets, groomed-to-perfection slopes, gourmet dining in three elegant day lodges, on-site child care, an award-winning ski school and state-of-the-art snowmaking. Ski magazine readers once again have rated it the No. 1 ski resort in North America.
Since 1990, Deer Valley, now in its 28th season, has invested more than $121 million in improvements. It has 22 lifts, including a gondola, serving 99 slopes and trails.
Wyoming
Jackson Hole Ski Resort: For 40 years, the red 55-passenger aerial tram had long been the signature lift and logo of Jackson Hole. The box-shaped lift was decommissioned in September 2006 and there were fears a new tram wouldn't be taking its place. A new tram is set to begin making test runs on Nov. 29 and will open for skiers and snowboarders on Dec. 20. The faster and more efficient tram, with its sleek new cabins, will carry 100 passengers to the top of Rendezvous Mountain in 9 minutes, a vertical rise is 4,139 feet. The new tram will provide the exact same spectacular scenery.
