ABSTRACT
Vail's Bob Parker tells the story, the only difference between the early days of Vail and those of the mining towns in Colorado nearly a hundred years earlier was that Vail's gold was white. Otherwise the scene was similar—the streets were dirt covered, the bars were rowdy, buildings were being constructed everywhere, and the same self-starting and chance-taking spirit prevailed. The mountain itself has grown to such proportions that it would be nearly impossible to ski its entire trail network or learn about all its facilities and activities in the week-long holiday that most of Vail's skiing guests spend in Vail. Just as some of those early speculative towns developed into resplendent communities, Vail has made the transformation.
