Turkey Legs, Tacos, and a Super El Niño

The forests are thinning out as the leaves fall, and the same thing is happening to the local event calendars. We mentioned a couple things in our last issue that take place in October and realized we left out another couple of events that are definite reminders that fall is here and winter is not far behind!

The last Sunday Vail Farmer’s Market is coming up on October 4 - at the moment the weather looks set to be a beautiful, crisp, sunny fall day, so get out there and do your best Fred Flintstone impression walking around the market with one of those massive turkey legs from the Kirby Cosmo’s stand by the International Bridge!

A local tradition continues - 57 years of bargain hunting, "for the kids." The Vail Ski & Snowboard Swap hits the Grand Hyatt October 2–4, with new and used gear, great deals, and a chance to turn your old skis into cash. More details here →

Vail's best-kept secret isn't slopeside — it's downstairs at the Transportation Center, past the lockers and the restrooms, at a spot called La Cantina. No sign outside, no white tablecloths, just 25+ years of San Diego–style Mexican food, a free salsa bar, and margaritas so generous the Vail Daily crowned them #1 two years running. Order the Macho Burrito if you're hungry, or the El Gordo Grande if you're really hungry (bring backup).

Our own JC took the chance on a recent trip into Vail Village to do some field research — chips, salsa, and guac approved, margarita (pictured, already half gone) also approved!

👉 Get the full scoop on Vail's cheapest — and most local — meal

Crisper temps, changing leaves, shorter days… if you see winter as a chance to get outdoors and play, then now is the time you start thinking about snow. As we put our Oktoberfest steins back on the shelf until next year, we are also consigning our memories of one of the driest stretches of weather here in a long time to the dustbin. Time to look forward - after all, we keep hearing about this “super” El Niño!

Since we are not climate scientists (though we know some), we culled some information from a variety of sources and tried hard to put it into plain terms - no need for you all to get the same headaches we did by sifting through various articles, data, charts, etc., etc.

We sifted through the El Niño hype to bring you a straightforward look at what this winter’s weather pattern may shape up like - there’s no way it couldn’t be better than last winter… right??…!! Read more here…

Back in July we introduced you to 42 Riverfront Lane #102 at the Westin Riverfront — now the price has eased to $2,205,000 and the ski season clock is ticking. This LEED Gold, all-electric residence sits steps from the Riverfront Express Gondola into Beaver Creek, with Avon's real-town amenities (and Vail access) just outside the door.

The resort itself keeps racking up hardware — Travel + Leisure's No. 3 Colorado resort, Condé Nast's Triple Crown, AAA Four Diamond — accolades that translate directly into strong rental demand (think $1,300+/night on peak winter weekends).

With ski season quickly coming into focus, this is a great opportunity to get that place in the valley you have been thinking about before the lifts start turning at Beaver Creek on November 25!

👉 Read the full story

We finished off our valley Oktoberfest tour on a fabulous, sunny fall day in Vail Village last weekend. One of the highlights was seeing these two together - they somehow survived growing up here and are still friends!

We are teeing up a future podcast where we will sit down with Brad Kaemmer and not only talk about growing up in Vail, but get the inside story on his new venture in town The Sixty Two Society.

JC took the Stammtisch “high-tech” this week and donned his ski helmet for our first ever Vail Valley Insider Stammtisch podcast where we compared notes on our favorite ski runs. Part 1 is live and all about Vail, so check it out here, and stay tuned for Part 2 where we talk about our favorites on Beaver Creek/Bachelor Gulch/Arrowhead!

You can also find this and future podcasts (some serious and others not so much) on our YouTube channel!