Our trip to Vail, Colorado was fruitful to say the least skiing, snowmobiling, dogsledding, fine dining, and, of course, wedding research.

Skiing in Vail is simply outrageous! I have skied all over the northeastern U.S. and in the Alps, but I have to say, we had three perfect ski days in Vail. The mountain is HUGE with several back bowls that dished up surreal experiences, and the mountain sun ensured the perfect body temperature allowing us to ski right through the day nonstop. Skiing through the fresh Vail snow was like skiing through powdered sugar… sweet!

We switched up the winter fun with a day of snowmobiling at the Piney River Ranch. They picked us up at our hotel, The Lodge at Vail, and took us up a harrowingly narrow mountain road that overlooked Vail Village. They suited us up with gear and snowmobiles with leopard spotted seats much to the amusement of my youngest daughter who is a big cat enthusiast. We snowmobiled 10 miles or so into breathtaking backcountry where we stopped on a giant, frozen lake to “play” or “practice” our driving skills i.e. blow off steam by speeding around a giant track at record-breaking speeds. Then we continued about another five miles to the Piney River Ranch lodge, which is situated all by its lonesome on a tremendous lake with a stunning view of the mountains as a backdrop.

You guessed it. You can be married at Piney River Ranch, and it would be amazing if you did. A wedding at Piney River Ranch would definitely be memorable for everyone and certainly would not be your run-of-the-mill wedding. Ceremonies most often take place on a large deck on the shore of the lake with the mountain view as a backdrop. They have two log pavilions for the reception and six log cabins situated on the lake for up to 30 guests. The rest of your guests would have the choice of camping in tents or teepees or staying in more luxurious accommodations 10 miles away in Vail. The dirt road to Piney River Ranch is 10 miles long. Now that is what I call private!

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