Topic: Beaver Creek

In addition to waking up to a bright new chapter for the United States of America, Vail awoke to about 4 inches of snow on Wednesday morning.

Vail's newest sculpture carries extra weight on Nov. 5, 2008, after at least four inches of snow fell in Vail Village.

Yes, the mild days of fall feel like they could be a thing of the past (at least until April or so), and according to the forecast, we should get snow through Thursday evening.

This will bode well for anyone drooling with anticipation all over their Vail Resorts ski pass, because Keystone and Breckenridge open this Friday, Nov. 7.

The snow guns can also be seen and heard adding their magic to Mother Nature's contribution on Vail Mountain, which is scheduled to open Nov. 21, followed by Beaver Creek Nov. 26.

Cold as we may be today, we are proud to be American and finally ready to think about skiing. Don't leave the warmth of your home or office without hats and mittens!

Not many ski towns are equipped with a high-end performing arts theater or graced by a season full of A-list musicians, stage productions, orchestras and comedians.

The winter lineup at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek reads like something you’d find off Broadway.

Star-studded from start to finish with the likes of Sugarland, Lyle Lovett, The Beach Boys and Lily Tomlin, the Vilar is the place to catch your fix of cosmopolitan culture this winter.

Vail will be far from abandoned this Halloween, with enough parties and activities happening in and around town to keep ghouls of all ages grinning.

A couple of Halloween roosters display their feathers at the Minturn Saloon's Halloween Party.

Beaver Creek is getting an early start on Friday, Oct. 24 with its Halloween Gala. This is a big kids party where crazy costumes are welcome and encouraged and proceeds benefit the Eagle County Charter Academy. It all goes down at 6:45 p.m. at the Park Hyatt. Make sure your costume is pliable enough to dance in!

It would be a crime to let the adults have all the fun this harvest season, which is why the Beav is planning a monster-sized day of spooky excitement for the whole family on Saturday, Oct. 25. Beaver Creek's Halloween Fest features free ice skating and free family Halloween movies from noon to 8 p.m., a pumpkin carving contest from noon to 4:30 p.m. ($5 per pumpkin or free to those who bring their own), a costume contest from 5 to 7 p.m. and trick-or-treating around Beaver Creek Plaza from 5 to 8 p.m. Stay on your toes for scare stations throughout the village.

In case the kids need an extra dose of fright and festivities, Vail's waiting until Halloween (Oct. 31) to throw down its fiendish delights. The Vail Public Library begins public readings of scary tales at 1 p.m. on Oct. 31, and a costume parade and trick-or-treating around Vail Village follows from 2 to 5 p.m.

Ghouls and goblins 21 and older have a couple different options on Halloween night (Oct. 31). The Sandbar in West Vail is throwing a Shriek bash with Rek the Heavyweight and The UMconscious at 8 p.m. while the Minturn Saloon is shifting into frighteningly high gear with its annual Halloween benefit with live music and costume party which typically draws every fun-loving freak in the valley.

Ming Tsai sprinkles some magic onto his Alaskan cod masterpiece to defend his title during the 2008 MasterChef competition at Beaver Creek.

MC Cat Cora congratulates round one winner and Splendido executive chef David Walford (right) and sous chef James Deighan.

Los Angeles chef Suzanne Tracht claimed the round-two victory with her scrambled egg-goat cheese creation.

Scrambled eggs, mangos resembling Mr. Potato Head and all sorts of other surprises accented the 2008 MasterChef Challenge at Beaver Creek.

Local and renowned national chefs had 20 minutes to whip up their finest dish with a secret ingredient at the Vilar Performing Arts Center during the Bon Appetit Culinary and Wine Focus’s liveliest event.

The concentration was intense as chefs barked orders to their assistants while furiously chopping leeks, onions, mushrooms and every other ingredient under the sun while the audience cheered and Iron Chef extraordinaire Cat Cora played Master of Ceremonies.

Reigning champion Ming Tsai from Boston's Blue Ginger hung onto his title in the final round, transforming the secret ingredient Alaskan cod into a tongue-tantalizing masterpiece involving tangy spices and shrimp.

In the second round, Los Angeles chef Suzanne Tracht manipulated the secret ingredient goat cheese into a simple omelet that won over the judges’ hearts while Splendido’s own David Walford walked away with the round-one victory after taking a mango and drawing out its finest flavors along with some fried spinach and Thai spices.

The epicurean extravaganza continues Saturday with food and wine seminars, a chef ski race and the ultimate Grand Tasting. Find out more about the festival.

Video

2008 MasterChef Challenge Real Action

Iron Chef Cat Cora hosts the 2008 Bon Appetit MasterChef Challenge at the VilarCenter in Beaver Creek. Don't be sad if you missed it, because Plum caught all of the action. Check out this culinary drama, starring Ming Tsai, Suzanne Tracht, Shaun Doty, Claudio Vignali, Daniel Joly, Steve Pope, Michele Huyke, David Walford and James Deighan.