Vail Mountain to Kick Off Summer Operations June 19

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Liana Moore

Vail Resorts announced today plans for summer operations at its Colorado resorts. Vail and Beaver Creek mountains will open for the summer on June 19. Following a reduced operating footprint last summer, guests can look forward to more activities on tap at the resorts for the upcoming summer season.

Health and safety continues to be a top priority. The resorts will be operating according to local public health orders and will be following their guidance as it relates to face coverings throughout the summer season. Eagle County, where Vail is located, has set a target of May 27 to expire all local public health orders and rescind the local emergency declaration.

Grab a tube, hop a lift, get a rush on one of the two summer tubing hills. Photo courtesy Vail Resorts/ Andrew Taylor.

Vail: June 19 – Oct. 3

Open daily through Sept. 6, then Fridays to Sundays weekly through Oct. 3
Activities will include Gondola One and Eagle Bahn Gondola (#19) for scenic rides, hiking and bike haul, as well as Epic Discovery summer operations including the Forest Flyer Mountain Coaster, Eagle’s Nest Tubing and Gore Creek Mini Golf
Local public health information: www.eaglecountycovid.org

Saor down Vail’s Forest flyer alpine coaster starting June 8, 2018. photo: Andrew Taylor/ Vail Resorts

Epic Pass Lineup & Price Reset

Vail Resorts recently announced a bold price reset of Epic Pass products to continue to deliver on our commitment of Epic for Everyone and to honor the loyalty of our pass holders. Epic Pass prices have been reduced by 20 percent across the board, and are now available to purchase at EpicPass.com for the 2021/22 winter season. The price reduction applies to the entire portfolio of the company’s North American pass lineup. The Epic Local Pass is now available for $583 (down from $729 last season) and the full Epic Pass is priced at $783 (down from $979 last season). This reset takes these products back to prices last seen during the 2015/16 season when the Epic Pass offered access to only 11 U.S. resorts compared to today’s more than 70 resorts worldwide. With the price reduction, the Epic Day Pass, which provides the same season pass value to guests who want to ski or ride just 1-7 days, gives guests the chance to visit world-class resorts like Vail for just $87 for a 1-day pass.

2021/22 Epic Local Pass and full Epic Pass holders receive free summer lift access and other benefits.

Eagle County Vaccine Status and Health Orders

As of April 27, Eagle County was the third highest county in Colorado for vaccine adoption by population. 69% of the eligible county population has had at least one vaccine dose. 87% of the county population over age 50 has been vaccinated. The county goal is to have 60% of the total county population vaccinated by Memorial Day to see some level of herd immunity to provide some community protection for those who aren’t eligible for the vaccine (under age 16) or can’t get it for some reason. This is key to meeting the goal of expiring health orders on May 17.

“All of us are really excited to get back to normal very soon. The answer is vaccines,” said Eagle County Emergency Management Director, Birch Barron

Things will still look a little different than pre-pandemic normalcy. Private businesses will still have the ability to require face coverings. Organizations, such as the airports and transit, that receive federal funding may still require face coverings.

It is very exciting to look forward to a summer in Vail that looks a little more like pre-pandemic summers, with the town and mountain buzzing with activity and fun.

Antlers Art | Artists in Residence at the Antlers at Vail

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Matthew Parrish

Unique Artistic Additions at the Antlers at Vail

It’s official – the Antlers at Vail has a beautiful, spacious new lobby and a speedy new elevator that accesses all floors of the hotel. Local interior design firm Casey St. John has crafted bespoke interiors for the new space. Large windows pour natural light into the new lobby and elevator foyer. General Manager, Magdalena King, wanted to tie together these new spaces with art that would not only adorn the lobby, but would be unique to the Antlers. She wanted this art to enhance our guests’ and homeowners’ feeling of being in the mountains. She sought to commission two very talented artists to help her achieve this goal. Enter artists Cindee Lundin and Bonnie Wakeman who have fulfilled this vision and created one-of-a-kind pieces for the Antlers at Vail.

Cindee Lundin, Faux Bois Artist

I had the opportunity to talk with Cindee Lundin a few weeks back, and had the pleasure of asking her questions about her as an artist and the pieces she has created for the Antlers at Vail. Cindee was an educator, and also painted murals in people’s homes. She has always had a knack for painting and enjoys it immensely. While studying to continue her career as an educator, one of her clients encouraged her to study art and painting instead.

On the way to Artistry

Cindee felt compelled to study art and wanted to pursue her passion. She changed fields of study, and began studying art fundamentals and art history. Cindee has now been creating art for her clients for 25 years. Cindee is intrigued by concrete faux bois art. Concrete faux bois is the artistic rendition of creating the appearance of wood grain using cement, stones, and gems. Faux bois art is now recognizable by many. Martha Stewart even began featuring her own faux bois collection a few years ago. Cindee is proud to create faux bois pieces and enjoys being part of this artistic movement.

Custom Faux Boix Panels for the Antlers at Vail

The collection she has created for the Antlers at Vail is all original and unique to the hotel. There are 73 pieces in all. From Cindee’s Artist Statement; Images of mountains are carved into concrete, trees are represented in the faux bois panels, the minerals and the riches of the mountain are symbolized with natural stone elements, semi-precious gemstones and crystals. The movement of the mountain streams are also represented throughout the compositions. The connection between us and nature is strong here. Cindee will be in residence with us in the spring of 2020 when she will install her faux bois panels.

Bonnie Wakeman, Sculpted Relief Artist

A sculpted and painted scene of a majestic elk in front of the Gore Range is one of the first decorative elements you will notice upon entering the Antlers lobby. Bonnie Wakeman recently completed this sculpted relief when she was in residence at Antlers last month. Bonnie was gracious enough to take some time away from creating the sculpted relief to speak with me about the piece she has created and her journey as an artist.

From Illustrator to Sculptor

Bonnie’s background is in illustration and design. She moved to the mountains in the early nineties. Bonnie began painting murals in her clients’ homes in Keystone, Breckenridge, and Vail. In 1995 her and her husband took a trip to Italy where she noticed sculpted relief everywhere. She wanted to bring this back to the US and so began crafting a plaster medium which can be sculpted wet and dry. Everything she has worked on in her life has come together in this art form. The pieces she creates involve mountain scenes and aspen groves, African safaris and lions, as well as any other scene her clients bring inspiration and passion to. She enjoys bringing the beauty of nature indoors through sculpted relief. Every blank wall she sees now looks to her a fresh canvas.

A Sculpted Relief that just suits the Antlers

The incorporation of antlers through a bull elk and the Gore Range in the background is one of the elements of this piece that she loves most. The aspens give the impression of being in a grove as the limbs even wrap around the adjacent walls. She has enjoyed partnering with the Antlers at Vail to create a piece that was exciting for her to design, sculpt, and paint.

We are delighted to share these talented artists’ work with our guests and homeowners.

Are you interested in commissioning art similar to what you have experienced at the Antlers at Vail for your own home or business? Please visit Cindee Lundin’s website Sticks and Stones Decor and Bonnie Wakeman’s website Transforming Walls to contact the artists directly.

Click or tap on a thumbnail below to view Cindee’s and Bonnie’s art at the Antlers at Vail.

3 Reasons to Ski Vail 2019 – 2020 Ski Season

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Liana Moore

We may be biased but we think that Vail’s 2019-2020 ski season is going to be the best yet. There are three reasons for this. One has to do with the Antlers, and the other with a snowmaking upgrades and a new product offering from Vail Resorts, “Epic for Everyone”.

Antlers Breaks Ground April 2019 on $5M Elevator & Lobby Project

In 2013 the Antlers implemented a Unit Quality Improvement plan, a property-wide project with the objective of bringing our Lodging Quality Assurance ranking up to Vail’s highest possible status. In July of 2015, thanks to the commitment of Antlers condominium owners, this goal of platinum status was achieved. But improvements to individual condominiums continue. There are now only a handful of units left that are not platinum rated.

Exterior rendering of Antlers new lobby and elevator.

Now, with the goal of bringing common areas to the same standard as individual condos, Antlers at Vail has broken ground on a $5 million renovation. This project will transform the hotel’s lobby, front desk, reception area and associated office spaces. Perhaps most importantly, it will provide a new relocated elevator to speed guests to upper levels. The project will be completed by December 12, 2019, just in time to greet winter guests with a new warm welcome.

Rendering of Antlers new light-filled spacious lobby.

As Always, the earlier guests book, the better the pricing will be. Booking early also gives us the most opportunity to accommodate specific requests. While we do not guarantee condo numbers, we do typically honor requests for specific bedding, location and more. These can only be honored as long as we have availability. So the early bird gets the worm. And, did you know that you can book now with no deposit due until August?!

Vail Resorts Offers Epic for Everyone

Another exciting development that guests can take advantage of this winter is advance day lift ticket purchases for a more reasonable price. There will be no more of $200 plus lift ticket prices for guests who plan ahead.

“Epic for Everyone,” from Vail Resorts is a customizable pass for those skiers and riders who may not need the unlimited skiing offered by traditional season passes. Guests can create their own pass by selecting the number of days they plan to ski or ride – from one day to seven days – and whether or not to add holiday access. Guests can use their customized Epic Day Pass anytime throughout the season at any of the Company’s North American owned resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Whistler Blackcomb, Keystone, Crested Butte, Park City, and more. Those purchasing four or more days will also get access to Telluride, Sun Valley, Snowbasin, and Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.

Don't miss out on another epic ski season at Vail. You can purchase yuor lift tickets now for incredible savings!

Don’t miss out on another epic ski season at Vail. You can purchase your lift tickets now for incredible savings!

With the Epic Day Pass, guests can ski world-class resorts for an unmatched price. Offering a discount of up to 50 percent off of lift ticket window prices, the Epic Day Pass starts as low as $106 for one day of skiing at any of the Company’s North American resorts. Guests can also lower their cost per day by adding more days and can lock in the lowest prices by purchasing this spring. The catch is that these passes must be purchased by the fall at whichever date Vail Resorts cuts off season pass sales.

Because Epic is for everyone, guests who purchase a day lift ticket this season also have the opportunity to apply the value of their ticket toward the price of an eligible 2019-20 pass, including an Epic Day Pass with four or more days. Guests can visit www.epicpass.com for more details on this offer and other incentives.

Vail Resorts Snowmaking Upgrades Ensure Annual Pre-Thanksgiving Opening

Vail’s extensive snowmaking upgrades and expansion taking place this summer will ensure a pre-Thanksgiving opening day each year. Nearly 200 acres of new and enhanced snowmaking terrain will provide guests with earlier access to higher elevation terrain, top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding, access from two base areas, and improved early season ski school terrain. Vail will be open November 15, 2019 to April 19, 2020.

Antlers Staff Lend a Helping Hand to Restore Gore Creek

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Matthew Parrish

Newly planted willow cuttings along Gore Creek. These will establish roots throughout the summer, and if they survive through the winter, will continue to grow for years to come.

Gore Creek is a special part of Vail. Residents and tourists alike appreciate the natural beauty it brings to our town. One of the features our guests and homeowners enjoy most about the Antlers at Vail is our creek-side location. But due to urbanization, Gore Creek is in trouble. In 2012, after numerous assessments of the health of the macro-invertebrate community, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) listed Gore Creek on the Clean Water Act’s Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. Since then, the Town of Vail and other stakeholders have put programs in place to restore Gore Creek. We know that our town’s local businesses affect Gore Creek, so at the Antlers at Vail, we make environmentally-conscious decisions everyday. This past weekend, our team went a little further and partnered with Love Vail, a Town of Vail program committed to keeping our footprint small, our resources plentiful, and our contribution to sustainability top of mind.

Peter Wadden shows the Antlers staff what to look for and how to collect willow cuttings.

If you have stayed at the Antlers at Vail in the past few years, you have probably met Gabe Kossman who was previously one of our all-star front desk agents. Gabe is now our Conference Services Coordinator, and recently completed a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability at Colorado Mountain College. In addition to conference services, Gabe is also now leading our sustainability efforts. Gabe organized a volunteer session for our team with Peter Wadden at Love Vail to harvest and replant willows along sections of Gore Creek that are lacking in natural flora.

Gabe Kossman collects willow cuttings.

Our team had a great time learning about the importance of Gore Creek and doing our part to revitalize the area. By removing willow cuttings from surrounding areas where willows are well established and replanting willows along areas of the creek where they are lacking, we helped reestablish a vital part of the local ecosystem. Willows provide shade to streams and critical habitats for a large number of terrestrial and aquatic species. They slow water flow and allow the ground to absorb water and nutrients, stabilize stream banks, and provide food and construction material for beavers and their dams.

Previous General Manager, Rob LeVine, and General Manager, Magda King, plant willow cuttings along the banks of Gore Creek.

For more information about Love Vail, the Gore Creek program, and to find out how you can preserve and restore Gore Creek, please visit their website at lovevail.org/programs/gore-creek/.

What happened to the baby Moose?

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Liana Moore

One early summer day in 2014 there was a bit of excitement at the Antlers at Vail. This excitement garnered national news coverage, but it also made us a bit sad. A baby Moose was separated from Mama and wandered into our lobby.

The Antlers is located next to national forest land and we have the privilege of seeing all kind of wildlife, typically from a distance. For very obvious reasons we’d prefer they stay on the mountain and not enter our lobby. But this little guy did just that.

Wildlife officials searched for mama and came up empty handed. They ended up transporting him to a new home at the Wildlife Research Center in Ft. Collins. And, now 5 years later we just learned, thanks to The Coloradoan, a few things about him. He is no longer a little guy. He is now an educator. He sings. And he is named after us — Antlers the Moose!

Aniceto Quinones, Best Laundry Worker There Is, Retires

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Liana Moore

In 1994 Aniceto Quinones was looking at the classifieds and jumped out of his chair to run to the kitchen where his wife was cooking his favorite meal. “Ilda, Ilda, I found the job I want. I’m going to the Antlers to tell them I’m their man.” Millie Barela hired him that week to take care of the Antlers’ tremendous laundry facility. Ever since, he’s been the first one to work in the morning, one of the last to leave at night and he takes his job very seriously. On average, Aniceto works 10 hours a day because that is his work ethic.

The laundry facility that Aniceto calls his home away from home, is not what it was 15 years ago. When he started there was one washer and two dryers which he managed until our 2000 building expansion which incorporated 22 additional condominiums. The laundry is now equipped with the newest and most efficient machines available.

Since then Aniceto Quinones has arguably been the single most important employee at the Antlers. We could compensate for any number of mistakes or shortcomings , but our guests and owners have absolutely no tolerance (nor should they) for sheets and towels that are not perfectly cleaned. Like many other Antlers employees, Aniceto will tell you that he’s not just running the laundry … he’s making sure our guests have a great vacation.

The Antlers is eternally grateful for Aniceto’s many years of dedication and exceptional performance.

Aniceto is the best laundry worker there is. That’s not only our opinion, but that of Bill Jones, the owner of In-House Laundry. Bill is our vendor for laundry supplies as well as the laundry equipment itself. His company services about 75 hotel operations in the Vail and Roaring Fork Valleys, and there’s nobody more qualified to pass judgment on Aniceto’s performance. When he says that the Antlers has the best, it means the Antlers has the best. But sadly not for much longer.

Aniceto has announced his retirement and is leaving us this month to enjoy his family in Mexico. We are eternally grateful for his years of dedication and exceptional performance. We are sure happy for him, but his shoes will be hard to fill.

General Manager, Magdalena King expressed her well wishes, “It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work with Aniceto all of these years. His invaluable service as a laundry man, many times was unnoticed because we never had any issues in his department. Everything was accomplished in timely manner and exceptionally well. Aniceto never expected a reward or the recognition, yet he is always the first one to celebrate others. He’s made his family proud. We all feel nothing but gratitude for all these years of commitment to the Antlers”.

Trash Pickin’ & Picnickin’ Returns May 6th, 2017

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Liana Moore

This Vail ski season has been one for the record books. The snow and skiing has been amazing all season. Just when we think it is melting off, another snow storm drops a few more inches of snow. But it will truly be over in just a few days. And, as the season winds down we execute our plans to get our property, and also the Vail community ready for summer.

Join the Antlers for Trasch Pickin’ & Picnicin’ May 6th, 2017 and get a free night on us!

We’d like to once again invite our guests to be a part of our family and green team May 6th, 2017 with our annual Trash Pickin’ & Picnickin’. You come help us pick up trash on the highway for a few hours Saturday morning (May 6th), join us for a free picnic afterward at Broken Arrow in Arrowhead (that’s optional) and we’ll give you a free night* on either Friday or Saturday night. That’s it … no other catch. If you want to stay an additional night, we have special rates available. And of course if you visited this winter you can take advantage of your $139 spring nights. But if you just stay one night … it’s a freebie! It’s our way of thanking you for staying with us, and for helping us keep our world a little cleaner place.

While we’ve been cleaning up our two-mile stretch of Vail Pass since 1988; we’ve also started joining the Community Pride Highway Cleanup arranged through the Eagle River Watershed Council. The past few years we’ve had a handful of guests join us and had a ton of fun, so we’re bringing it back again this year and letting you know in plenty of time to make plans. Join the Antlers green team again this spring, following the end of ski season and as the spring melt gets underway, to help clear the trash and debris that emerges after a long winter of being buried in layers of snow. This is our community’s way of sprucing up the valley for residents and visitors alike!

The Antlers – which has incorporated numerous eco-friendly business practices long before the term ‘green’ was coined – recently was awarded the TripAdvisor GreenLeader and Actively Green statuses, in addition to the Vail Valley Success Awards 2009 Green Business of the Year and the Vail Valley Community Impact Award 2015.

Call us at 800-843-8245!

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Poolside Wedding Ceremony at the Antlers

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Matthew Parrish

At the Antlers, we receive many wedding inquiries throughout the year. Some newly engaged couples hear about us from their friends, some from our TripAdvisor listing, and some simply know that they want to get married in Vail. This was Haley and Reza.

Haley and Reza wanted to keep things simple and have a quaint yet beautiful wedding ceremony somewhere near Vail Square where their photos would be taken later in the day. Their wedding was set to take place on New Year’s Eve, mind you, one of the busiest weeks of the year in Vail. The lovely couple e-mailed us just before Halloween and we thought, you know what? Why not offer to let them get married by our pool? And you know what else, why not let them have their ceremony here on the house? After all, it would be short, sweet, and to the point – No great need to charge for 30 minutes on our patio.

After offering our poolside deck on Gore Creek for their small ceremony, Haley and Reza were delighted to accept. After all, finding a location for lodging in Vail this time of the year is difficult enough.

So, after much anticipation, New Year’s Eve rolled around and I met Reza in the courtyard. He was thrilled, and could not wait to marry the love of his life. We presented them with a champagne welcome. The officiant came in, then the photographer, and finally the bride. The day couldn’t of been more beautiful with blue skies, and the sun setting over Lionshead. At the ‘I do’s’ we had a number of guests in our hot tubs and some on their balconies clapping and cheering them on! It was pretty fun. With Reza’s brother and his partner at their side to bare witness to their nuptials, they had a toast and some laughs, and went on to Vail Square for the rest of their photographs.

After the ceremony, I got to catch up with the newly weds in our lobby and offer them some hot cocoa and a suggestion for their first wedding anniversary… because, where better to celebrate than the Antlers?

As an independent property, we get the privilege of offering some very custom, sometimes unorthodox accommodations in the hospitality industry to some really lovely people, and this was certainly the case here. Having the ability to help out when we can just adds a little more meaning to our work, and offering a complimentary location for a small elopement-style wedding ceremony to a grateful couple was our pleasure.

A GREAT Addition to the Antlers

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Rob

Kim Rediker joins the Antlers at Vail team.

I remember going to a Vail Town Council meeting sometime in early 2004 and thinking, “This new woman on the Council is way too young to have that much poise”. It later occurred to me that she was the same age as me, when I was elected to the Town Council in 1989, but I can tell you that she was a lot more prepared for the task than I was. I hadn’t met Kim Rediker prior to that, which is a little surprising given that we both worked in the hospitality business. I thought I knew everyone in the Vail hotel scene. Apparently not.

In the past dozen years I’ve enjoyed watching Kim work in a myriad of community roles, both public and private. It didn’t take long to appreciate how smart and dedicated she was, in addition to all that grace. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with her on the Vail Economic Advisory Council for a good part of the last decade. In that role (and others), she’s always demonstrated one of her great strengths … pragmatism. I have long valued that skill as highly as any other. Kim truly understands that you can be right about something all day long, but if you’re not effective it doesn’t do anybody any good. There are SO many circumstances that come up every day in the hospitality business where understanding, compromise and pragmatic decisions are the key to success.

I love the fact that Kim has that “big picture” view. That’s just one of the reasons I was so stoked when Magda convinced her to come be the Assistant GM. Combined with Magda’s similar talents, the Antlers is in REALLY good hands going forward.

Rob

Freshly Ground Coffee & the Vail Veterans Program

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Matthew Parrish

The Vail Veteran’s Program invites military injured and their families to participate in various outdoor activities such as skiing, rock climbing, and horseback riding.

The Vail Veterans Program is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to empower military injured and their families through innovative and transformational programs that build confidence and improve lives. Since 2004, their programs have provided adventurous and engaging mountain experiences to wounded warriors and their families. Thanks to donors, volunteers, and the Vail community Vail Veterans Programs are provided to military injured and their families entirely free of charge.

At the Antlers, we are now providing Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea Company’s Whole Bean Patriotic Blend in each of our condos. When you arrive at your condo, you’ll find a jar of coffee beans and a coffee grinder on the kitchen counter to grind fresh and brew in your coffee pot. It is our pleasure to provide the coffee to you complimentary, and we hope you’ll enjoy your morning cup a little more knowing that all of the profits gathered by Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea Company for their Patriotic Blend will go to supporting the Vail Veterans Program.

We’re pleased to support this incredible local charity and we hope you are too. If you love the taste of this rich coffee blend, and would like to continue supporting the Vail Veterans Program after your stay at the Antlers, Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea Company’s Patriotic Blend is also available for purchase on their website.