Prices and hours checked November 2026
Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels
The Vail Yeti are Vail's semi-professional hockey team, playing in the Mountain West Hockey League, and their home ice is Dobson Ice Arena in Lionshead. The arena has been closed since April 2025 for an extensive renovation and reopens in November 2026.
The first Yeti game in the rebuilt building is an exhibition on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and regular-season home games start in December 2026.
Who are the Vail Yeti?
The Yeti are a semi-pro team, not a minor-league affiliate of an NHL club. That distinction shapes the whole evening. Rosters at this level mix experienced players with strong local ties, games are physical and fast, and the crowd is largely people who live and work in the valley.
The Vail Recreation District, which operates Dobson Arena, lists the team as semi-professional in the Mountain West Hockey League, and Discover Vail, the Town of Vail's visitor site, describes them the same way: "Vail's semi-pro hockey team."
Dobson is a small building by hockey standards. The renovated arena holds about 1,500 spectators for hockey, according to the Town of Vail, and up to 3,500 for concerts and shows. There is no distant upper deck.
Every seat is close to the ice, and a full house makes the building feel busy in a way a half-empty big arena never does. For visitors, a Yeti game is the local alternative to another dinner reservation: walk in, find a seat near the glass, and watch a game with the people who actually live here.
When do the Yetis play at Dobson this season?
The reopening sequence runs through November before league play starts. The Vail Sportsmanship Hockey Tournament breaks in the ice from November 6 to 8, 2026. During that weekend, on Saturday, November 7, the Yeti play their first game back at Dobson.
The Vail Recreation District lists it as a Yeti vs. Yeti fundraiser game. Discover Vail bills the same night as the Vail Mountaineers Cup, an exhibition game, with the puck drop at 8:00 p.m.
Regular-season home games follow in December, per the District's published list:
- Jackson Hole, Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, 2026
- Denver Leafs, Friday and Saturday, December 18 and 19, 2026
Treat the December dates above as announced dates, and confirm the start time for your specific game before you go, because the District had not published puck-drop times for the December games when this guide was written.
What does a game night at Dobson actually look like?
The November 7 exhibition shows the format at its best. Discover Vail's schedule for that evening starts at 5:45 p.m. with a Vail Mountaineers 14U A tournament game, continues with Yeti warmups at 7:30 p.m., and reaches the ceremonial puck drop and the exhibition game at 8:00 p.m.
Chuck-a-puck, raffles, and auctions run through the night. Arriving for warmups is worth it in a building this size. You can stand at the glass, watch the lines form, and pick your seats without a rush.
The renovated building should also fix the old friction points. The Town of Vail's project summary lists new south and west entrances, expanded seating, a wraparound concourse and mezzanine level, additional concessions and restrooms, and upgraded locker rooms.
Dobson was built in 1979 and, in the Town's words, had remained largely unchanged outside of minor updates. The renovation cost is put at about $55.4 million. For a spectator, the practical changes are simpler entry and more room to move at intermission.
Full background on the building and its other programs is on the Dobson Ice Arena listing.
How do tickets work?
Buy through official channels only. Schedules and ticket information are published by the team at vailyetihockey.com and by the Vail Recreation District at vailrec.com, and the November 7 exhibition is also listed on Discover Vail.
One honest caveat on price: neither the team nor the District had published Yeti ticket prices on their official pages when this guide was written in late October 2026, so no price is quoted here.
Check vailyetihockey.com close to your game date for the current price and for whether tickets are sold online, at the door, or both.
Do not rely on resale sites for a building that holds about 1,500 people, and note that the November 7 fundraiser and exhibition may be ticketed differently from a regular-season game.
How do you get there, and where do you park?
Dobson Ice Arena sits on East Lionshead Circle in Lionshead, next to the Lionshead Parking Structure. One quirk to know before you set a navigation pin: the Recreation District uses both 320 and 321 East Lionshead Circle on its own pages. Either number leads you to the same building, which is clearly signed in Lionshead.
Driving is straightforward. Park in the Lionshead Parking Structure and walk the short distance to the arena. The District notes that parking fees may apply, so check the current structure rates rather than assuming free evening parking.
The easier option for most visitors is the free Town of Vail bus. The arena is on the in-town and West Vail bus loops, per the District. If you are staying in Lionshead, you can likely walk, as the arena sits a short stroll from the Eagle Bahn Gondola and the Lionshead hotels. From Vail Village, the free in-town bus covers the short hop west.
Where should you eat before or after the game?
Lionshead has enough choice within a few minutes' walk that there is no need to drive anywhere. For a sports-bar dinner before puck drop, Garfinkel's in Lionshead is the natural fit for a hockey night, with a deck facing the gondola side of the village.
Its hours vary by season and by day of the week, so check the current schedule on the day of the game rather than planning around an old listing.
For a sit-down dinner, Tavern on the Square at The Arrabelle at Vail Square serves a contemporary American menu a short walk from the arena.
The Town of Vail's fall guide listed it as reopening on November 13, 2026 after its fall closure, which puts it in play for the December Yeti dates rather than the November 7 exhibition. Book ahead on December game nights, because the same Fridays and Saturdays draw ski-season dinner crowds.
The workable pattern for a December game is an early dinner in Lionshead, a walk to Dobson, and a drink in the village after the game, all without moving a car.
Where should you stay in Lionshead for a game weekend?
Staying in Lionshead turns a Yeti game into a walk-to evening and pairs well with a ski day. Lion Square Lodge at the Gondola is a Vacasa-managed condo-hotel at 660 Lionshead Place, beside the Eagle Bahn Gondola, with lodge rooms and privately owned condos, so layouts vary by unit.
From there, Dobson is a short walk through the village, and the Lionshead Parking Structure and bus stops are close if you are meeting friends from elsewhere in town.
December home games fall on two Friday and Saturday pairs, December 4 and 5 and December 18 and 19, which makes a two-night Lionshead stay the simplest way to combine a game with early-season skiing.
Check the calendar
Dates, start times, and ticket arrangements can change, especially in a reopening season. Before you plan a trip around a game, check the VailVacay events calendar for current dates and fixtures, then confirm the details at vailyetihockey.com or on the District's Dobson Arena page.
The confirmed anchors for the 2026 return are the exhibition on Saturday, November 7, 2026, and the December home pairs against Jackson Hole and the Denver Leafs.