Blue Sky Basin

Blue Sky Basin opened at Vail Ski Resort in Colorado on January 6, 2000, adding 525 acres and bringing the resort’s terrain to more than 5,000 acres. Its development became the center of a fierce environmental dispute over possible harm to the lynx being reintroduced to the Colorado wild. That conflict intensified in 1998 when arson destroyed several Vail facilities, including the Two Elk restaurant, in the largest eco-terrorist attack in the United States, causing about $12 million in damage. Later convictions followed an FBI investigation. Blue Sky Basin also stood out for a more natural design, with meadows, glades, and a 1,900-foot vertical drop.

Minturn, Colorado · United States