Want to Avoid the Lift Lines like a Local?

1. Get out before 9:30am and you'll likely stay out of lines the whole day. You'll be out in front of the crowds, into the Vail Bowl areas and a couple of lifts ahead of the ski schools, crowds and commuters from Denver. If you are going to sleep in, just have a late breakfast and wait until 11:00am or so and you'll zip right up.

2. Stay away from the gondola. Only ride that thing if there is NO line. You can get up quicker and further up the mountain by taking Chairs 8 and 2 and actually get a bit of a warm up on the cat-walk at the same time.

3. Look before you leap. It sounds too simple but look for a moment at each side of the lift to see which maze has less of a line. And then look closely to see which lane has less people. I can't believe the number of times a well meaning friend will just dive right in to the closest line, when with just 5 seconds of thought there is a better option available.

4. Single lines can be deceiving. Be careful splitting up. Sometimes the regular lines go QUICKER than the single lines. When a maze is completely full (single lines and regular lines are out the maze), many times the regular lines go quicker (particularly on the High-speed quads). Exception is Chair 5

5. If at top of Chair 7, look down to the base of the lift first before diving in.Chair 7 (Game Creek) can be a mess between 10am and 11:30am as the goofs riding the gondola take the cat-walk down to Gamecreek. But you can see down in from the top of 7. If it is mess, dive down the back to Chair 5 or back to the front for Chairs 3 or 4.

6. Don't do Chair 11 between 2:45 and 4:00pm. If you are coming back from Blue Sky or China Bowl and your legs can handle it, ski down Yonder to get to Chair 5. There won't be anyone there at this time of day and it brings you back to the top.

7. Thumbs up for: North side of 7, East side of 2, East side of China lift, East side of Northwoods, East side of Chair 3 anytime, East side of Chair 4 before 10:30 but then West side of same Chair after lunch.

8. Loser moves: Going down to Chair 5 after 10:38 on a powder day (You might as well start walking back up the hill). Skiing runs around Chair 2 from 9:45-11:30 (don't choose those 50 acres to ski on when there is 5000+ out there waiting for you). And the ultimate loser move? Sticking with a friend on a powder day.