Unexcused Absences

Arrival at The Beav!

At Beaver Creek, it took exactly two-and-a-half-hours to become locals. After three days of travel, we drove into Avon, Colorado at approximately 3pm, Saturday. Unloading the car went quickly, and we walked the 10 minutes to the bus stop before boarding the next bus up the mountain to Beaver Creek.  At around 4pm, the folks at the Vail Valley foundation gave us the gear necessary for our volunteer work as race-course maintenance workers on the Talon Crew for this year’s Birds of Prey World Cup Ski Race (look for coverage of this event on NBC Sunday December 5 at 2pm ET).

Pre-dawn at the base

After a quick run through the grocery store, we headed to Beaver Liquors at around 5:30pm.  As we entered the store, we were greeted with a bright smile. “It’s going to be tough to get used to shopping for beer and wine at a liquor store,” Kent remarked. Dave, a friendly clerk, asked if we were from out of town. We explained that we’d arrived for the season about two-and-a-half hours earlier from Virginia.  “Well, then you’re locals,” he exclaimed! He immediately offered us a locals-only discount on our purchase.

This is one example of why, out of all ski areas, we have chosen to spend our winter at Beaver Creek. We simply love the the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the place. Yes, the skiing and terrain are outstanding, but where else can you become a local in two-and-a-half hours?