Compared to most other Colorado ski towns, VAIL , 122 miles west of Denver off I-70, is a new creation. Only a handful of farmers lived here before the resort - a collection of fake Tyrolean-style chalets and concrete-block condominiums - opened in 1952. During the Ford administration, it served as the western White House; Gerald Ford and his wife still live here, hosting annual celebrity golf and skiing competitions.

According to SKI magazine, Vail is the top ski destination in the US. What lures the ultra-rich (more conspicuous here than in Aspen) is the exceptional quality of the snow, the sheer variety of terrain, and the huge number of lifts (expensive at $62 a day, though the ticket also lets you ski Beaver Creek, ten miles west and home to America's top-rated ski school). You can also speed down a 3000ft bobsled run for $20 a time, or, in summer, go mountain biking : one good option is to use the two available gondolas (mid-June to Aug daily 10am-4.30pm; $12, $19 with bike) to carry your bike, then ride back down the mountain.

Vail

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