The largest single ski area in the USA with over 4000 acres of skiable terrain, and the most high-speed detachable quads on one mountain in the world, Vail markets itself as 'America's favorite resort.' It is certainly regarded by many as one of the world's top five all-around ski resorts. Vail's ski area is legendary, Stretching for 7 miles (11km) and served by 25 lifts, eight of them express quads, it has over 120 named trails.

Expert skiers and powder fanatics have plenty of challenging terrain on Vail's Front side as well as the seven legendary 'Back Bowls.' For intermediates there's a huge variety of groomed cruising runs. There are numerous beginners slow skiing areas around the mountains and special family skiing areas. The longest run is from Flap Jack to Riva Ridge, a total of 4.5 miles (7.3km). The Front side terrain is unusualy well balanced with almost a third of the skiing for each category of skier. The resort receives an average of 27 feet of light powder snow each year.

The Vail Valley has some 32,000 guest beds in all categories, putting it among the biggest resorts in the world off-slope as well as on. With over 120 restaurants to choose from and more than 225 shops, visitors may be forgiven for not making time to try out the 884 meter long bobsleigh run, where recreational users can record speeds of up to 90 kph. Also to be found around Vail are several art galleries, museums and the opportunity to try ballooning, dog sledding, ice skating and hockey, parascending, snowmobiling, snowcat tours, snowshoeing and telemark skiing.