Vail's China Bowl opens Wednesday,

All that snow is paying off. Tomorrow Vail Resort will open China Bowl, Tea Cup Bowl and portions of Siberia Bowl a week before schedule. Friday, it will drop the rope on Blue Sky Basin, giving the resort more than 4,000 acres serviced by 26 lifts

This is some of the greatest skiing in Colorado, though we can't say we recommend checking it out this weekend. The south-facing bowls may have spotty coverage with rocks and stumps waiting just under the powder. Let the other skiers find them and pack down the base this weekend, then hit the back bowls next weekend with confidence.