Although lift tickets at Vail are now back down to a so-affordable $94, this season was the year of the $100 lift ticket in Colorado — Vail and Beaver Creek both had $102 single-day ticket prices just before Christmas. I was grumbling about lift ticket prices a couple years ago, and decided to do a little experiment for a story in the Mountain Gazette: I would see how many vertical feet I could ski in one day at Vail without using any lifts, and return a week later and see how many vertical feet I could ski using one of those $92 lift tickets. The comparison was not completely futile. But as you might imagine, I was able to ski a few more feet using Vail’s ski lifts. Is it legal to hike up terrain at a ski resort on Forest Service land? Any thrifty Denver skier or snowboarder will tell you buying a single-day lift ticket at Vail is about the dumbest thing you can do. It’s the most expensive ticket in Colorado at $92, and you can expect to pay about $20 for parking, and at least $25 in gas.
There are many cheaper options — the $479 Colorado Pass gets you 10 days at Vail, or there are multiday deals, or tickets (and even season passes) on Craigslist or eBay. But what’s even dumber is taking pair of snowshoes and hiking the mountain. I was doing exactly that this January when a mountain host named Chip stopped to say, “you’re wasting a lot of energy, you know.” We were about a third of the way up, on Riva Ridge. My associate, Sara, was stopping to pee in the middle of the traffic-free slop, tele skis still buckled on. In full sweat, with water, backpacks and gear to ascend, we were well aware of the effort thing. Chip added, “I’ll be impressed if you’re down by close.”Time for you to go. It did have to seem stupid, but the whole idea was to see how much Vail we could get without paying for any. To us, that $92 lift ticket costs an entire day of slaving away in some cubicle — a one-for-one exchange for freedom where the cubicle-to-freedom ratio is almost always 5 to 2.
We wanted to “stick it to The Man” — any man — and get at least one day for free. But could Vail kick us off the mountain for going “the wrong way”? Vail spokeswoman Jen Brown said hiking up Vail Mountain is technically legal since the resort is on National Forest land, but definitely not encouraged because of safety concerns. Colorado Ski Country USA spokesman Nick Bohnenkamp said ski resorts “provide access to National Forest land, but access with restrictions.” Not many people would be dumb enough to try it anyway. Starting at 8,200 feet, we had to stop at Mid-Vail after 2,000 feet of climbing to rest and refuel. We made it to the 11,250-foot summit (3,050 feet in all) at 2:20 p.m., a little over an hour before the lifts closed. Somebody on the Mountaintop Express lift greeted our accomplishment with, “You idiot, buy a lift ticket.” We also got a couple of celebratory whoops and a guy in his mid-50s nodded and gave us the thumbs-up as Sara and I high-fived.
How was the free ride? We took catwalks all the way down to appease our screaming thighs. I returned two days later to establish a value for this $92 lift ticket. $92 gets you unlimited skiing between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Vail. To many folks, that includes getting a chair at 9:30 or 10, taking a couple of runs, stopping for lunch, maybe a beer, a couple more runs, another beer, then one last run down. This is not the statistic I was looking for. I wanted to know how much value the working man, the proletariat, can squeeze out of $92. I found out by getting on the Vista Bahn Express at 8:28 a.m., then the Mountaintop Express Lift— 1,000 feet of rise in 4 minutes — to begin nearly seven straight hours of totally focused assembly-line snowboarding. I chose greens and blues to conserve my energy for the long haul. After ten runs covering 10,000 vertical feet in two hours, I stopped for food and water. Still, I made 13 more runs, with one 5-minute bathroom break, before close.
Going solo helped my effort tremendously. From the much-shorter singles line I rode the lift with people from Virginia, L.A., Boston, New Jersey, Dallas, England, Denver, Colorado Springs, Tennessee, three guys from Winona, Minn., where my brother used to tend the VFW bar in college, and some who didn’t want to talk at all. I rode a blue run called Christmas maybe 15 times. Then, at 3:15 p.m., instead of going down Christmas one more time, I dropped down Riva Ridge, a black, knowing full well if I took blues or greens I’d get lazy and end up making a mistake that would land me in a tree and on the 9 o’clock news. I rode Riva Ridge hard, breaking a sweat, all the way. At the top of the Gopher Hill Lift with a couple hundred feet to go, I sat in the middle of the slop and watched the masses taking their last green run home. Vertical feet skied: 3,050 Ski lift trips: 0 Cost/1,000 vertical feet of skiing: $0 Cost per ski lift ride: $0 Time to ascend from base: 5 hours, 38 minutes
Vertical feet skied: 25,050 Ski lift trips: 24 Cost/1,000 vertical feet of skiing: $3.67 Cost per ski lift ride: $3.83 Time to ascend from base: 21 minutes? Semi-Rad is brought to you by Outdoor Research.Gatlinburg Sky Lift - Vintage Attraction with Amazing Views The Bottom Line: If you can get past the relatively high price, the view from the top of Crockett Mountain is absolutely incredible. However, if the thought of forking out $13 for a 20 minute roundtrip ride on a dated chair lift makes you cringe, consider driving up to Ober Gatlinburg for similar views without the hefty price tag. The Gatlinburg Sky Lift, which initially opened in the 1950s, is one of the oldest continuously operated attractions in the Smoky Mountains. The popular attraction is located directly across the street from Ripley’s Believe It or Not in downtown Gatlinburg. This vintage chairlift transports visitors to the top of Crocket Mountain for an amazing panoramic view of the National Park and quaint town of Gatlinburg below.
It is the number one scenic overlook in Gatlinburg. The combination of the older appearance and visitors’ fear of heights oftentimes raises the question of the Sky Lift’s safety record. Even though the Gatlinburg Sky Lift was originally built in the 1950s and has a vintage appearance, the owners have heavily invested to maintain the attraction and ensure guests’ safety. The towers, tower wheels, cables, chairs, and other integral parts are inspected on a regular basis by an expert safety maintenance supervisor. The attraction has an impeccable safety record and guests should feel confident about riding one of the area’s most popular attractions. After purchasing your ticket, Gatlinburg Sky Lift employees will help up to two adults or one adult with two small children into each chair. If your party has an elderly or disabled individual, the employees will momentarily stop the Sky Lift attraction to ensure safe and easy boarding. Next, the slow and scenic ascent to the 1,800’ summit of Crocket Mountain begins.
The trip to the top of the mountain, which lasts about ten minutes, provides spectacular views of the beautiful Little Pigeon River, Bear Run, Mysterious Mansion, downtown Gatlinburg, and the surrounding mountains. Once you reach the top of the mountain, employees will help you dismount the chair lift, and you are free to explore the area. Immediately upon exiting, you will find a small souvenir shop, snack bar, viewing area, and picnic tables. At the souvenir shop, you will have the opportunity to purchase the souvenir photo from your ascent. The outdoor area provides visitors with plenty of views and photo opportunities. Most visitors get tired of the gift shop and exceptional views within 30 minutes of arrival and are ready to return to downtown Gatlinburg. The descent, which provides even better views than the ascent, is a favorite with photographers. For a few extra bucks, you can purchase an all-day pass. This option allows you to experience unparalleled daytime views of the Smoky Mountains National Park as well as dazzling nighttime views of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The Gatlinburg Sky Lift is located at 765 Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee at traffic light #7. It is directly across the street from Ripley’s Believe It or Not and within one block of the iconic Gatlinburg Space Needle. *Photos and review produced by our on staff journalists who are in no way affiliated with the brand reviewed on this page. Romantic Views, 1 Bedroom, Handicap Entry, Game Room, Hot Tub, Sleeps 4 Private luxury 2 bedroom cabin with home theater! 4 Bedroom Cabin with Screened in Porch and Outdoor Fireplace! Simply Southern, 1 Bedroom, Downtown, Arcade, Hot Tub, WiFi, Sleeps 4 Laurel Falls Trail | Beautiful Scenery & 80-Foot Waterfall Loco Burro Gatlinburg: Delicious Mexican With A View Guy Michaels Comedy Hypnosis Show: Las Vegas Style Entertainment WonderWorks Pigeon Forge: 50% Theme Park, 50% Science Museum, & 100% Fun! Clingmans Dome Hike: Visit the Highest Point in the Smoky Mountains The Best Italian Cafe and Pizzeria: Incredible Food, Lackluster Service