Vail's Back Bowls are seven bowls covering 2,785 skiable acres and 47 trails on the south-facing side of Vail Mountain. When they open changes every season: the first Back Bowl terrain opened on December 5 in 2024 and not until February 5 in 2026. Here is what each bowl is, which lifts serve it and which runs stand out, so you can decide where to spend a day once the ropes drop.
When do they open?
There is no set date. Vail opens the bowls in stages. On December 5, 2024, Vail Resorts described an above-average snowpack across the state; when the first 2026 terrain opened on February 5, Vail Daily reported one of the lowest early-February snowpacks on record at the Vail Mountain SNOTEL site. Recent Back Bowl opening dates covers the date for each recent season. For the live answer, use Vail's terrain and lift status page.
The seven bowls at a glance
Inner and Outer Mongolia count as a single entry in the table below, matching how the two bowls are measured together.
| Bowl | Acres | Lifts | How Vail describes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Down Bowl | 625 | Chairs 3 and 17 (also reached from Chairs 7 and 4) | Some of the more complicated and hidden terrain in the bowls |
| Sun Up Bowl | 475.2 | Chairs 5 and 9 | Vail's first bowl, skied by its founders; home to the Back Bowls Corbel |
| Tea Cup Bowl | 277 | Chair 36 | Overlooked terrain between Sun Up and China; runs are named after Celestial Seasonings teas |
| China Bowl | 601 | Chairs 21 and 36 | Wide-open groomed intermediate skiing alongside steep expert pitches |
| Siberia Bowl | 336 | Chairs 21 and 22 | Low-angle glades, large cliffs and sustained steep drops |
| Inner and Outer Mongolia Bowls | 470 | Chairs 21 and 22 | Secluded expert terrain reached only by traverse, in what the resort dubs "earning your turns" |
The six rows add up to roughly the 2,785 acres Vail quotes, which is about 52 percent of the mountain's 5,317 skiable acres. Vail's mountain page also puts the mountain's terrain at 18 percent beginner, 29 percent intermediate and 53 percent advanced, a mix that shapes how much of the bowls suits each level.
Runs Vail highlights, bowl by bowl
Sun Down and Sun Up
- Windows (Sun Down): a hidden entrance, then open terrain with trees, cliffs and gullies and a view of the Mount of the Holy Cross.
- Never (Sun Down): a long traverse across the bowl's west face to less-tracked terrain with cliff bands and views of all seven bowls.
- The Slot (Sun Up): a groomed run through the Back Bowls Corbel that also links to China, Sun Down, Tea Cup and Blue Sky Basin.
- Après Vous (Sun Up): follows the ridge between the two bowls, steady pitch up top and trees lower down, ending at the Sun Up Catwalk.
Tea Cup and China
- Tea Cup Glade: aspen glades and small cliffs, reached down Sleepytime road past Sun Up Bowl.
- Morning Thunder: on the far side of Tea Cup, with small and medium natural features and quick access back to Chairs 36 and 21.
- Poppyfields East and West (China): mellow, consistently groomed intermediate terrain that Vail describes as a way to introduce a less experienced skier or rider to bowl skiing.
- Genghis Khan (China): steep, wide-open pitches with a natural cornice on the bowl's west side, under Chair 36.
Siberia and Mongolia
- Rasputin's Revenge (Siberia): cliffs, couloirs and cornices on a south-facing face; Vail warns that conditions can change from dry powder to soft spring snow within a couple of hours.
- Bolshoi Ballroom (Siberia): low-angle glades that give a taste of the Mongolia bowls; the Mongolia Platter (Chair 22) adds a few hundred feet of vertical.
Beyond the seven: Game Creek and Blue Sky Basin
Game Creek Bowl is not one of the seven. It mixes easy groomers, moguls and south-facing bowl skiing, and it works as a stepping stone to the larger bowls. Blue Sky Basin is also separate: open meadows and groomed glades with wide views, on its own opening schedule. Our guide to getting to Blue Sky Basin from Vail Village covers the route.
Before you drop in
- Check what is actually open. Bowls open in pieces and can close again, and terrain marked closed is closed even after a big storm. A Vail Daily report on a closed Back Bowls entrance noted that ducking the rope risks losing your ski pass.
- Be honest about the terrain. Of the runs named above, only Poppyfields is a good introduction for newer bowl skiers, and none of the seven bowls counts as beginner terrain. See how hard the Back Bowls are before you choose a run.
- Plan for altitude and distance. The mountain's highest point is 11,570 feet, and the bowls take you well away from the base villages, so plan food, water and time to get back. Where to eat is covered in where to eat on Vail Mountain.
- Getting there. The lift routes from each village are set out in how to get to the Vail Back Bowls.
If you need gear for the day, browse ski shops and rentals in the Vail ski rentals directory.
