Vail Beginner Skiing Guide
Beginners at Vail will mostly need to stay on the front of the mountain, where the easiest trails can be found. In addition to the front side, there is a pair of beginner trails in the Game Creek Bowl.
The main designated learning areas for children are found at the Golden Peak base area and near the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola.
There are easy traverses covering the front side of the mountain, but these trails will see a lot of traffic and the conditions might not be as good as some other spots. Beginners who are sticking to the front side of Vail may wind up seeing a lot of this…
Golden Peak & Gopher Hill
This is a good place to bring your children if it is their first time on snow. There are multiple carpet lifts in this area in addition to the short Gopher Hill Lift. This is just a short walk over from the base of Gondola One in Vail Village. The photo below was taken while looking down towards the Gopher Hill Lift.
Eagle's Nest Beginner Learning Zone
You will find the Practice Parkway and Adventure Ridge at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola. This is an area that is built for beginner skiers and snowboarders. This beginner zone is a gently sloped area with its own chairlift and multiple carpet lifts for the children.
The photo below shows the beginner learning area by Eagle’s Nest. This includes Adventure Ridge and the wooden structures for the ropes course (now removed) that were used during the summer here. This area gets constant changes and improvements depending on the season and which activities people like the most.
Sourdough & The Sourdough Express Chairlift
This area is located high up on the mountain on the far eastern side of the resort. There are several green circle trails here including Sourdough, Boomer, Tin Pants, and Flap Jack. The Timberline Catwalk will get you here from the top of the Northwoods Express Lift (Chair #11).
The photos above and below were taken while descending down from the Two Elk Lodge. Veer right at this intersection for Tin Pants and Flapjack. Veer left for Boomer.
Skiing on the green circle trails of the Sourdough area is easy-going and there are great views of the Vail Valley and the Gore Range from here. The trails up here are less likely to be crowded compared to some of the other beginner trails on the front side of the mountain.
Into the Game Creek Bowl
You will find 4 beginner trails around the edges of the Game Creek Bowl. These include Lost Boy, Eagle’s Nest Ridge, Club Walk, and Game Trail.
The photo below was taken while heading down Game Trail into the bowl while descending from the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola. See the full guide to the Game Creek Bowl here.
