At Kirkwood, we’re excited to be heading into our 40th anniversary season and our first year as part of the Vail family! It’s the beginning of a new era and we hope you join us as we move toward realizing Bud Klein and Dick Reuter's original vision for this special place. The mountain has received a resort-wide facelift during the off-season in addition to last year’s $6 million in capital improvements. Here are some of the things you’ll notice around the mountain this winter.
Snow Removal Upgrades
We’re ready for a big winter this season and have invested in some new equipment to deal with our 600+ inches of annual snowfall! We’ve added a new Howitzer to get our infamous steeps open on time as well as a Zaugg snow blower, the same rotary plow used by the California Department of Transportation, to get our roads and parking lots clear quicker for you on all those powder days!
Kirkwood To Be Sole US Stop On Unified FWT
The Freeride World Tour and The North face Masters have long been the premier events for the winter, this season they’re combined into one unified world tour! Kirkwood is the sole USA stop for the The Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face. An event not to be missed, this competition will bring together the top athletes in ski and snowboard disciplines to take on the notorious terrain of The Cirque.
Food & Beverage Revamp
With a new F & B director on board, we’re revamping our food and beverage establishments. Don’t worry, we’ll still have all your old favorites such as the Legendary Saturday Night Prime Rib Dinner and those Fullspeed breakfast burritos at the General Store, plus look forward to some exciting new menu items and enticing après ski options!
EpicMix Comes to Kirkwood
Kirkwood guests will now be able to take advantage of EpicMix technology. EpicMix allows guests to track their vert, earn serious bragging rights and share their accomplishments with their friends instantly on facebook and twitter. . A revolutionary technological advancement for the ski industry, EpicMix automatically captures and uploads all mountain activity to your dashboard. Because of Radio Frequency scanners at the base of every lift and RF technology built into every Vail Resorts season pass and PEAKS card, skiers and riders can follow their days on the mountain, track vertical feet, see where they rode, earn EpicMix pins for achievements and collect points.
Guest Experience
We are in the process of installing comfort bars on every single lift at Kirkwood, joining Heavenly and Northstar as the only resorts in the state of California to take this precaution for the peace of mind of our guests. Additionally, all children under the age of 12 participating in Ski & Ride School will now be required to wear helmets. For our guests’ convenience, we have upgraded our rental fleet and helmets will now be included with all children’s group lessons.
We look forward to seeing you all on the hill this winter!
