High on life, on luxury, on slopes

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I was lucky enough to come in from the frigid night of winter's first big storm and warm myself by a crackling fire at the year-old Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, the latest in a string of high-end hotels to open in the Eagle Valley, two hours west of Denver.

Like its major competitors in the area, the Ritz-Carlton melds two disparate types of vacationing: the pampering of a luxury hotel and the excitement of a wilderness experience. Its home is Bachelor Gulch -- about 25 minutes from Vail -- one of three villages that make up 1,600-acre Beaver Creek Ski Resort, one of the state's fastest-growing resort areas.

With the addition of the Ritz, visitors to the slopes of Vail and Beaver Creek find that nearly every ski run leads to an up-market hotel: Six area lodges made the 2003 Conde Nast Traveler readers' poll of "the best in the world."

In Vail, these include Sonnen- alp Resort (No. 13), Lodge at Vail (42) and Vail Cascade & Resort Spa (60). Beaver Creek's winners are Beaver Creek Lodge (31) and Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (37). All of these were named in the best North American resorts category. The Ritz at Bachelor Gulch was No. 41 in the best North American hotels category.

Although only 22 years old, Beaver Creek has Old World charm. Because nearby Vail has one of the highest percentages of European visitors in North America, Vail Resorts -- which owns both Vail and Beaver Creek -- modeled it after a European ski resort. Other pluses: Three-fourths of the resort's lodgings are ski in, ski out, and nearly everything is within a convenient walk or free shuttle ride.

A 10-minute shuttle ride from Bachelor Gulch and the Ritz-Carlton carried me to the Beaver Creek Plaza, where I had dinner reservations at Splendido. The piano bar and elegant atmosphere made me feel as if I were dining at the heart of a big city, until a fox ran by my window during dessert.

After dinner, I strolled over to the giant bonfire outside the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek. To wind up the evening, I stopped at the Dusty Boot, a favorite with local residents where no one cares if you dance on the bar.

Joining the crowd at the bar was fun, but the real reason I came -- and why most people do -- is the skiing. Few are disappointed.

With 5,289 acres spread across a prime seven-mile stretch of the Rockies, Vail Mountain is among the largest resorts in North America. The ski media consistently rank it among the top resorts on the continent. Almost anyone would agree that Vail's famous back bowls, a 2,724-acre playground, are the best place to be in Colorado on a powder day. While the back bowls are dominated by black diamonds, less difficult blue runs are interspersed to allow intermediate skiers access to the area.