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Taste of Vail

You still have a few days to check out the 32nd annual Taste of Vail, a culinary event that brings national and international attention to the town throughout the multi-day food and wine festival. The event kicked off Wednesday with the Debut of Rosé event at the Lodge at Vail, then on Thursday, Après Tasting in the Street featuring the Fitch Ranch Head to Tail Beef Tasting took place in the streets of Vail. These events allow you to try delicious bites from area restaurants and sip wines from all over the world while meeting representatives from the wineries. There are educational seminars and chef dinners as well. Here are just a few of the Taste of Vail events this year.

Mountain Top Tasting

Eagle’s Nest – Friday, Noon-2:30 p.m.; tickets are $225

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Ski-in, ski-out or take the Eagle Bahn Gondola (No. 19) to the venue. Dress for 10,350 feet above sea level, as it may be colder at that altitude and wear your sunscreen. Enjoy the vistas while trying different wines and spirits and delicious dishes by area and guest chefs.

 Grand Tasting

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The Hythe Vail – Saturday, 5-8 p.m.; tickets are $295

Sample bites from area restaurants and sips from wineries around the world. At this event, chefs go all out to impress and wineries often bring out “the good stuff,” so, consider this event “saving the best for last.”

Chef Dinners

Join Root & Flower and Andy Peay of Peay Vineyards Friday for a flight and culinary delight by Root & Flower and enjoy Peay wines. On Saturday, Head to the Closing Celebration Dinner at Express Lift Cafe. This dinner will feature a star-studded cast of local chefs and guest chefs and fine wines before we say goodbye to this annual event. Each course will be thoughtfully paired with exceptional wines handpicked by the experts at Decanter.

Seminars

The Taste of Vail isn’t just about sipping wine and tasting great dishes, it’s also about education and there are many seminars to choose from throughout the weekend. Learn about wines from Oregon, the West Sonoma Coast, or Colorado wines in seminars on Friday and Saturday. There’s also a seminar that focuses on wine tasting through art on Saturday. You can also learn more about il porcellino salumi, which is an artisan meat producer based in Basalt at a seminar that will be paired with Bourchard Père et Fils wines.

This is just a partial list of events and seminars. For tickets and a full schedule, go to .

Après at The Amp

Normally, the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater is identified as an outdoor concert venue used during the summertime, but this winter The Amp is getting ready for its second annual Après at the Amp.

On Friday and Saturday look for some of the best electronic music coming to the mountains with various acts taking the stage:

Friday:

• 5:30 p.m. – Amba
• 6:00 p.m. – Nala
• 7:00 p.m. – Bob Moses
• 8:45 p.m. – Daily Bread

Saturday: SOLD OUT

• 5:30 p.m. – Decker Rush
• 6:45 p.m. – Disco Lines
• 8:30 p.m. – Sofi Tukker

Stop by the Icelantic booth during Friday’s show to sign up to win a pair of Icelantic skis custom painted by Pat Milbery, whose artwork can be seen around the Vail Valley. You can also sign up to win a pair of tickets to the sold-out show on Saturday night. The prizes will be given away in between the Bob Moses and Daily Bread sets.

Parking will be available for free after 3 p.m. at the Vail Village and Lionshead Village parking structures and a free shuttle will take concertgoers to the venue. Or, if you bring three friends, the four of you can park your vehicle for free at the Ford Park parking lot after 3 p.m.

Although this event starts when it’s daylight, you’ll want to dress for cooler temperatures once the sun goes down, so plan accordingly.

The Vail Valley Foundation, the nonprofit that operates the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, is working with the Town of Vail and Vail Resorts and the venue’s partnership with AEG Presents to bring these acts to town as part of Vail’s spring celebration. For more information, go to .

John Scofield Trio at the Vilar

If you like jazz and if you like guitar you are in for a treat this weekend as the John Scofield Trio takes the stage at the Vilar Performing Arts Center on Saturday Night. Scofield has been part of the jazz scene since the ’70s and is known as being an innovator of modern jazz guitar and is a triple Grammy award-winning artist with more than 40 recordings. Scofield grew up in Connecticut and attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He’s performed with Miles Davis, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Mavis Staples, Herbie Hancock, Government Mule and Phil Lesh. When he isn’t touring over 200 days a year, he is the adjunct professor of music at New York University.

The John Scofield Trio consists of Scofield on guitar and bassist Vincente Archer and drummer Bill Stewart. They released their latest album, “Uncle John’s Band” in October 2023.

Archer grew up in Woodstock, New York and attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Northeastern University and has collaborated musically with the likes of Nora Jones, Amos Lee, Wynton Marsalis, Mary J. Blige and Willie Nelson. He has appeared on five Grammy-nominated and two Grammy award-winning recordings. Stewart grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and started playing drums at 11 and performed in the school orchestra and a top 40 cover band before heading off to college at University of Northern Iowa and eventually William Patterson University. He moved to New York City after college and started playing with Scofield but also played with Maceo Parker and James Brown.

Tickets for Saturday night’s show at 7 p.m. start at $38 for reserved seating and there is a special price for children 12 and under for $10. This concert is also part of the Pick 3/5/8 ticket package where the more shows you buy, the more you save. For more information, go to .

Skivenger Hunt

Don your costume and enjoy some spring skiing while also helping out a worthy cause at the fourth annual Skivenger Hunt on Saturday. This fun way to explore Vail Mountain is put on by the team at the Slifer Smith and Frampton Real Estate. The Charitable Foundation of Slifer Smith and Frampton was created in 2015 and supports area nonprofits.

This year’s beneficiary is The Community Market. Approximately 8,700 people in Eagle ¾Ã¾ÃÈȾ«Æ·ÊÓƵapp deal with food insecurity. The Community Market eases that worry by providing free food that is nutrient rich like fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread and shelf-stable grocery items.

Join the fun on Saturday morning, check in goes from 9-11 a.m. at the Slifer Smith and Frampton office in Lionshead across from Christy Sports. Grab your lanyard and scavenger hunt clues and head up the hill. Return to the base of Lionshead for the après ski party at Garfinkel’s from 3-5 p.m. Winners will be announced at the party and show your team spirit by wearing costumes or having a fun team name.

Help reach the $10,000 goal by participating in this affordable event. Registration is $50 or $10 for kids 10 years old and under. Go to to get signed up.

Terrain closures

Even though Beaver Creek closes on Apr. 14 and Vail closes on Apr. 21, there are certain areas of both resorts that will close before the whole mountain shuts down for the season.

Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch lifts and terrain will close on Sunday. The Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch hotel will remain open to guests until April 22. The Laughing Bones will play one last show at the Broken Arrow Café on Sunday from 2-5 p.m.

During the spring we typically get the freeze-thaw cycle going on where the slopes warm up during the day and the snow can become sticky or slushy and then it freezes overnight, so skip first chair and have another cup of coffee and let the sun warm up the slopes. A common saying during spring skiing and snowboarding is “follow the sun” where you ski and ride eastern-facing slopes first (think Rose Bowl on Beaver Creek Mountain or Ricky’s Ridge in Vail’s Back Bowls) as the early morning sun will soften those trails first.

If the snow gets a bit too slushy by the afternoon, save your knees and head to après ski early and you can always download Gondola One (No. 1), the Eagle Bahn Gondola (No. 19) or Centennial Express (No. 6) at the end of the day if you are tired. “Save your season” is another saying around here, which means be careful not to hurt yourself now so you can have a fun summer doing activities like biking, hiking and golfing during that season.

The Vail Mountain operations team is still assessing conditions and weather as the forecast will play a role in how the mountain continues to operate. The best places to check for open terrain updates are , and the MyEpic app.