The Vail Arts Festival at Lionshead Village is a three day event that showcases over 75 artists from all over the U.S. This spectacular event will include artwork of various media ranging from large-scale sculptures, to jewelry, to paintings. As an artist myself, I have always been eager to attend this and other art festivals (including the Breckenridge Art Festival) in the past. Never have I seen so much talent in such a laid back, natural atmosphere. It beats walking through a stuffy gallery or museum and it is truly an event that the whole family can enjoy. There is awesome food, live music, and so much engaging artwork, you will surely want to spend more than one day enjoying it!! The Breckenridge Art Festival, which occurs over the 4^th of July weekend (2nd-4^th, 2010, is ranked the 18^th best art fair in the United States by the Art Fair Source Book. Last year at the Breckenridge Art Festival, I was blown away both by the artists and the incredible food. Yes, I think it was the gyro stand that truly left me speechless!

(The Breckenridge Summer Arts Festival)

Imagine:  As you casually stroll between booths, the smell of festival food wafts through the 70 degree summer air. You stop and gaze at a magnificent piece of artwork that catches your eye. The artist is sitting in the nearby shade, watching all the on-lookers peer in at his work. He approaches you and tells you about his artistic inspiration, his work, and its meaning. After a short discussion, you move on and continue to enjoy the unique artwork and the beauty of the mountains.

The weekly Vail Market  is a farmer’s market and art show that offers fresh Colorado farm and gourmet products. This event is accompanied by live music, delicious snacks, Colorado wines, a mechanical bull, railroad rides, caricatures, free balloons, local arts & crafts, flowers, and more! This is the largest farmer’s market in Colorado with over 100 tents each week! During your summer stay in Vail, it is worthwhile to visit the Vail Market, happening every Sunday from 10:00 am to 3:30pm, June 20-Sept 12, 2010.  

There is no better time to visit Vail, CO than in the summer. The Vail Arts Festival, and other spectacular events including, Spring Back to Vail, The Vail Film Festival, and Taste of Vail will attract thousands of visitors to the gorgeous mountains this year. If big events are not your thing, I guarantee that your summer vacation in Vail will be epic! You can strap your mountain bike to the back of a chairlift and bike down. You can white water raft. You can hike to the peak of a 49,000 foot mountain for peat’s sake!! And with the sun always shining, you can even catch some rays hanging by the pool!! So get up here! Book your vacation now and enjoy all that Vail has to offer this summer!

(A hike through the picturesque mountains is far more entertaining than lying on some beach!)

Girls love wearing fancy masks!

February 14-19 is Carnivail! I’ve noticed signs around town and can’t be more excited! After their Super Bowl win- I think all of America is pumped for Mardi Gras, and this is Vail’s own version! If you can’t make it to New Orleans, then what better way to spend it than in the mountains? Our stars alone are better than the fireworks, and the people know here know how to celebrate!

After finishing our own great event- Vail Gay Ski Week- we are rested and ready to participate in this once a year event in Vail! Come see our friends, the Frogs Gone Fishin’, at the Fat Tuesday Parade (free!)! We love these guys, and they are local favorites!

Missing that dirty south great cookin? Not a problem- join us in becoming fat kids again with the “World’s Highest Low Country Crawfish Boil” at Eagle’s Nest. Go skiing or riding afterward to burn those calories! Here’s the menu Vail has planned:

1 lb. Crawfish, Andouille Sausage, Corn, New Potatoes, Garlic Bread – $14.95

Bowl of Gumbo – $7.95

Crawfish Etouffee- $8.95

King Cake – $3.50

I will also be hitting up my favorite places in Vail- Sweet Basil, Samana, the Tap Room, and more. Email me if you want to plan meeting up!

janyce.brandon@vailgayskiweek.com

One big event after the other………..it never gets boring in Vail !!!!!!!

Last weekend Vail hosted the first Vail Gay Ski Week which turned out to be a huge success. People attending had a blast.  Many people from all over the country, especially the East Coast, California and the Denver area traveled to Vail and enjoyed awesome snow, parties and events the Vail Gay Ski Week team came up with. Most people showed up Thursday for the first event- the Women Wrestling in Samanas. Nobody ever imagined that women wrestling could be such fun. The 10 woman wrestler gave their best and even more… People watching were pushing each other to get the best spot in order to see the girls rolling on the floor.  Then Friday morning most went out skiing and then getting ready for the Beer Bust. The Beer Bust Friday night was the first big party. Hosted in the Donovan Pavillion in Vail, the cowboy themed party was a great party. People enjoyed drinks and dancing to DJ Sammy Jo till midnight. Saturday morning seemed kind of slow. Registration was open at 8am but most people showed up later which was related to the Beer Bust and dancing the night before ….But once up, groups of skiers and boarders went out together and enjoyed the amazing Colorado weather and snow on the slopes. After skiing most went back to the Vail Plaza to relax in the Plaza Hot Tub and enjoy some drinks to prepare for the final party Saturday night – the POPular Party.  During the Popular Party with dj guillaume the silent auction was taking place approaching final bits for its closing at midnight. The Vail Gay Ski Week team managed to get amazing prices from resorts, art galleries, sport shops, hotels…on which participants were biting on. Most people at the party took advantage of the fact that they were staying right at the party place, the Vail Plaza, so that they could party really hard and then just roll in their room once the party was done at 2am. Sunday morning was even slower than Saturday…most participants decided to relax and then simply check out and travel home with amazing memories and looking forward to Vail Gay Summer and the next Vail Gay Ski Week.

Once Vail Gay Ski Week is over Vail Village is already getting ready for the next big event, the CarniVail. In less than two weeks, February 14^th to the 21^st the next event will be hosted in the party mountain town. Bridge Street will become Bourbon Street! CarniVail starts of on Sunday 14^th up on Eagle’s Nest, located at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola, with true Cajun dishes including Crawfish, Gumbo, Jambalaya, music and more! The Bud Light Fat Tuesday Parade and Street Party with Frogs Gone Fishin’ and a Float Competition is going on February 16th, and on Friday, February 19 the event will be finished up with a free concert of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe presented by Southern Comfort.

Consumers cut back where they could and while local resorts pushed special promotions food sales and even ski school numbers still dropped. Hopefully, we are more prepared this year and its clear Colorado ski resorts are adjusting.

Keystone is offering a $225 season- long lesson pass which provides unlimited class sessions and with deals like the epic pass and Aspen’s flex pass it’s clear the nature of the resort industry is changing. Customers are for the first time, since resorts realized you could charge $107 a lift ticket, able to enjoy nature’s gift without sacrificing too much.

While huge projects were not prevalent this year changes and upgrades were still made. The Aspen Skiing Company invested $8 million on mountain upgrades which include a hands-free lift with electronic tickets. The Little Nell is undergoing a complete renovation and the newly LEED- certified Viceroy Snowmass is the latest development at the new billion dollar Snowmass base village.

Copper finished the new Woodward at Copper adventure sports training hall that offers a multitude of skiing and snowboarding programs. Keystone built a new skier bridge that leads back to the base of River Run gondola, and Loveland added a magic carpet lift to Loveland Valley for kids ski school.Winter park is at the end of their major $30 million redevelopment of The Village at Winter park Resorts.

Improvements and adjustments were made to all ski resorts in Colorado but it’s a different world and maybe a sign of permanent changes. In the midst of all the anticipation and in every dripping conversation I have heard about winter, no one has mentioned their disappointment. Let us remind the companies at night of any fancy chairlift, our thoughts are just on snow and oh’ that  mountain.

What better way to celebrate our country’s independence than watching the nation’s best atheletes compete in a little contact sport? The 37^th annual Vail Lacrosse Shootout is already underway and will continue to thrill Vail Valley residents through the 5^th of July.  The weather is perfect, the competition is fierce and the stakes are high as America’s top lacrosse players show off their talent in the Vail Shootout. Touted as one of the premier lacrosse tournaments nationwide, the Vail Shootout hosts nearly 100 men’s and women’s team from all over the United States. The best of the best—including legends Gary and Paul Gait, the Powell brothers, and two players from Syracuse’s national championship team—always jump at the opportunity to play lacrosse in one of the most beautiful settings the US has to offer.  While games will take place all day throughout the week, the men’s and women’s elite championship games will be held on July 5^th at Ford Field.  Come and enjoy the fun, and let Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals be your resource for the most affordable lodging in the valley. We offer properties for families of all sizes. Check out our website at Vailskivacations.com and come celebrate the 4^th of July with us in Vail!

The Vail Shootout is just one of the many events taking place in Vail this summer. In fact, if lacrosse doesn’t interest you, there are certainly other attractions that will suit your preferences. The Vail community also hosts a variety of music festivals and other sporting events throughout the summer. However, what we all need is a little vacation and Vail is the perfect place to relax, kick back and enjoy the Colorado Mountains.

Vail, Colorado is the perfect place to spend our country’s Independence Day!  Over 10,000 shells explode in the sky overlooking Nottingham Park in Avon, making Fourth of July in Vail the largest fireworks display in the Colorado Rockies!  Avon is just 10 minutes away from the number one ski resort in North America, so you can experience the fireworks display choreographed to local music, while also enjoying the multiple amenities that both Vail and Beaver Creek Mountains have to offer!!

Property Management companies throughout Vail Valley, Beaver Creek, and Avon are offering 20-40% off Summer Discount Specials, while others are doing a “buy 2 nights get the 3rd night free” promotion!  Call our sales agents at (970) 477 1777 TODAY to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable, locals and hear about the best deal out there for you and your vacation needs!

Driving to the rockies and bringing your dogs to roam freely through White River National Forest?  Don’t worry!  We have tons of pet-friendly lodging options–from right in the center of Vail Valley, Lionshead, and West Vail to Arrowhead and Bachelors Gulch in Beaver Creek!  Make this year’s 4th a leisurely, quiet escape from a hectic summer or an outdoor, adventurous, thrill-riding time with activities like white-water rafting, paragliding, mountain biking, floating, and more that can all be arranged by our world-class concierge service!

Whether you’re cruising up to Vail for a long weekend with your buddies or hoping to cook up a surprise romantic summer getaway for you and your significant other, our local sales agents at VailSkiVacations.com will know exactly how to please your every need. We’re not only experienced in the vacation planning industry, but we’re also in Vail for the same reasons you are—to enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rockies and all of the amenities that Vail has to offer—so you can trust our judgment when it comes to finding you the best kept secrets in Vail, from restaurants, to camping spots, and everything in between!

Visit our website at www.vailskivacations.com or better yet, just give us a call at (970) 477 1777 to let us plan your entire vacation from start to finish for the 4th of July!

VailSkiVacations.com–soon to be RockyMountainVacationRentals.com–is fully up and running this summer and offering available premiere lodging in the Vail/Beaver Creek areas. Local Coloradans believe the saying, “You move here for the winter, but you stay here for the summer”! If you’ve never enjoyed a Rocky Mountain Summer, then visit our website today at www.vailskivacations.com or call our office @ 970-477-1777 to book a summer lodge with one of our local specialists!

Vail is becoming an increasingly popular summer destination for outdoor adventure gurus from around the world. The small town of about 4,500 people is surrounded by White River National Forest and divided by the Colorado River, where you will often find people relaxing on tubes, fishing, kayaking, and more! Vail is also a great place for camping trips and hiking, with popular wilderness area, Mount of the Holy Cross (at 14,005 feet!), just 14 miles away from Vail Mountain. The town’s population drops dramatically in the summer, so you don’t get the sensation that we’re a “tourist trap” destination when you stay here. Bars and nightclubs are filled with regulars. Art Exhibitions and Music Festivals liven up the Village. From the time you wake up ’til the time you go to sleep, Vail summers offer constant activities that will have you falling in love with our mountaintown before it’s time to go home.

…Who knows? Maybe you’ll come for the summer and just end up moving here, like we did.

Vail summer activities are fun for the whole family! Nova Guides is one of the premiere outdoor recreation companys that has been servicing Vail and the surrounding areas for over 20 years. You can enjoy Whitewater Rafting activities in many locations around Vail, from the lower Eagle River, to Brown’s Canyon of the Arkansas River, to the Shoshone rapids and Gore Canyon of the Colorado River! Whether you’re new to rafting or have class V rapids training, Nova Guides will take care of you and your family and give you a trip to remember! Visit NovaGuides.com to set up your family adventure packages, including Jeep & Hummer Tours, ATV Tours, Guided Fishing, Mountain Biking, Paintballing, Hiking trips, and more!!

The Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival from July 1st-August 4th is an annual summer tradition that helps make our mountains come alive with world-class orchestras, soloists, and venues! Summers in Vail aren’t just about outdoor sports; we are filled with culturally innovative and inspiring events such as this one that continues to generate dynamism and widespread, communal awareness. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to listen to superlative music in an exceptional setting. Visit the Vail Music Festival’s website to purchase your tickets at www.vailmusicfestival.org, and don’t forget to book your lodging TODAY for the festival directly with our local sales agents at vailskivacations.com !!!

What are you waiting for? We know you can hardly wait to enjoy your summer vacation here in the Valley with us. Once you book your luxury lodging rental, we encourage you to take advantage of our premium concierge services that will take care of planning all of your activities, events, dining, and more before you even arrive. Make this summer an exciting one for you and your family! Hop in the car and drive to the Rockies, and experience what it feels like to come alive.

The Teva Mountain Games, held annually in Vail, starts in just 7 days! Come out and enjoy the world’s largest celebration of outdoor adventure athletics, from traditional outdoor sports such as running, cycling, climbing and kayaking to less-conventional competitions like the “Speed Retrieve” and “Extreme Vertical” Dog Events! The Teva Mountain Games is kicking off summer nightlife activities with free concerts in Vail Village starting at 6 pm all three nights of the Games! WE HAVE AVAILABLE LODGING IN VAIL SO YOU CAN BOOK NOW TO ENJOY THE WEEKEND OF THE TEVA MOUNTAIN GAMES!!! Search our website to find the perfect lodging options to accomodate your needs. Anything from one- to five-bedroom condominiums to 10-bedroom luxury homes, come and go at your leisure and make it a trip to remember! Call our office today at (970)-477-1777 to speak with an agent and book your perfect weekend-getaway.

Not only can you watch professional adventure athletes from around the world compete in seven sports and 21 disciplines, you, yourself, can get involved and compete against professional and amateurs, alike, in certain sections of the running, hiking, mountain-biking, road-biking, and kayaking competitions! If you’re interested in getting involved in the Teva games but aren’t much of an athlete, show off your skills in the Photo competition, enjoy the collection of films by the Telluride Mountainfilm: Zero Emission Tour, or help volunteer with a trail clean-up sponsored by Bear Naked and the U.S. Forest Service.

The Teva Mountain Games is a project by the Vail Valley Foundation, a nonprofit organization since 1981 that has been commited to servicing the Vail Valley community by providing leadership in enterprises centered around our local neighborhood. Check out VVF’s blog on the teva games at http://vailvalleyfoundation.blogspot.com/2009/05/blog-post.html and more information on the Teva Mountain games at http://www.vvf.org/vvf/info/events.athletic.mountaingames.aspx

Never satisfied with remaining static, or complacent in this economy, VailSkiVacations.com and VailBeaverCreekLuxuryProperties.com are now expanding to encompass the Denver and Front Range.  This alluring market is void of a company that operates in our manner, and as such we made a calculated decision to expand operations.  Our expansion to Denver will be formulated under two subsidiaries, each offering outstanding customer service and a functional business model that enhances customer relationships.

Similar to our Vail Valley operations, LuxuryRentalsofDenver.com and LuxuryPropertiesofDenver.com will feature high end properties that are available for rent or for sale on the market.  Differentiating our company from our competition is certainly critical, and easily accomplished with our innovative business model.  Because our company operates as a hybrid of a travel agent and a property management company we have access to a large, diverse inventory of the area’s best properties.

This unprecedented access to booking a wide array of rentals ensures we offer highly competitive prices while matching you and your preferences to the perfect accommodations.  Independence from owning properties guarantees we present an unbiased practice to finding you lodging, resulting in better customer service and a great selection of properties.

Please check out our new websites for LuxuryRentalsofDenver.com and DenverLuxuryProperties.com to view our inventory and other information about this exciting market expansion!

In true hybrid nature VailSkiVacations.com combines the most promising traits of property management companies with those of travel agents.  The end result is a new, innovative business that can provide customers with better customer service through our employee’s ability to utilize a large inventory of competitively priced accommodations.  Unlike property management companies which are restricted to booking their properties, VailSkiVacations.com is free of such constraints.  This ensures an unbiased approach when helping our guests!

Our company employs a staff of Vail locals which guarantees you’ll be working with knowledgeable employees, this benefits you as we have experience matching guests with the perfect lodging in the Vail Valley.  Understanding what will please our guests lets us provide you with lodging options custom tailored to your preferences.  Intrigued?  Call 1-877-411-8245 or visit our website to learn more.

This business plan has now been developed in the Denver market, our two subsidiaries focus on luxury rentals and properties in Denver with the same attention to customer service that defines VailSkiVacations.com.  Denver’s real estate market hasn’t been serviced in an efficient and caring manner for years, and as such LuxuryPropertiesofDenver.com and LuxuryRentalsofDenver.com look to establish new standards.