This place is so big, so completely massive, that you can spend hours just going someplace -- Big Sky Basin, anyone? That's a good thing, because the getting-there part is half the fun, especially at Vail, where you can ski the front side, cross to the famous back bowls and ski another half day before even getting close to our favorite chunk of turf, the artistically gladed, aforementioned Big Sky Basin. The 2009-10 season marks the 10th anniversary of that lovely outpost, which is where we've finally landed. Whew. We tested the snow in China Bowl, one of Vail's six other bowls, first, but finding it a little crispy after one too many freeze-thaw cycles, we ventured farther back. It's heaven tucked down here in the greenery, where we duck and dart like we're blazing new trails. We pause, soak it all in. Then point our ski tips down and push onward. Placed side by side, we've got a whopping 7 miles of bowls to investigate. We'll never make it! Vail offers terrain for everyone, from the steep and bumpy expert runs that make up slightly more than half the resort, to intermediate runs with widely spaced trees, to rolling beginner runs. In all, the ski area has 193 marked runs on 5,289 acres, served by a whopping 31 lifts. On Adventure Ridge, children -- and adults masquerading as kids -- can try snow biking, trampolining and tubing on the snow. It's like three resorts rolled into one. When you're done on the mountain (yes, you really do have to come down at some point), there's town to explore. But first, apres ski. Here in Vail, that means a margarita on the deck of Los Amigos, where you can watch people wipe out on the super steep Pepi's Face as you lick salt off the rim of your glass. We park our skis at the end of a thrilling day and mosey over, still wearing our spacesuit-looking ski boots, to join the crowd cheering and jeering. Afterward, we head back to the Lodge at Vail for a quick shower, then opt to skip the free shuttle and walk to the newly renovated LionsHead base area 15 minutes away. There, we watch ice skaters glide around the sparkling new rink, peek in the windows of the world's largest Burton Store and drop by the chocolate shop. Vail doesn't have the old-timey mining town vibe of some other ski resorts, but it's appealing in its own way. It was built as a ski resort and retains a European flavor. It's fun to wander the streets. Looking for fancy food? Check out Centre V, a French brasserie in The Arrabelle at Vail Square, where we refueled with lamb shanks and roast beet salad. Prefer downscale? Vail has pizza joints and burger places aplenty. Vail is known for its nightlife, of course, and we admired the well-appointed club hoppers, but we are so pooped from our day on the mountain that we opt for bed instead. Tomorrow, we'll do it all over again. We'll swoosh down the longest run at the resort, which stretches a whopping four miles. We'll check out the terrain parks from the safety of the chairlift. Boarders and skiers alike zoom through those playgrounds, gliding up spectacular mounds of snow, zipping through the air and spiraling down halfpipes. It makes my knees quake. Once, several years ago, I slowly skied up one of those terrain park hills, thinking it couldn't be that scary. I was wrong. I went airborne without even trying. But, happily, survived to tell the tale. Now I stick to practicing my mogul skiing skills, which always can use some improvement. I'll pound down a field of garbage can-sized snow humps, check to make sure my fillings are still in place, then dip into the trees to avoid the wind for a while. I'll swoop down a tree-studded hillside, trying to keep my skis steady as I pick my way around the pines. The average annual snowfall at Vail is 350 inches, but just in case Mother Nature doesn't fully cooperate, about 390 acres are covered by snowmaking equipment. Another nice thing about Vail? It's just down the road from Beaver Creek. Whenever we're in Vail, we plan at least one day at that resort, which seems somehow less frenetic (and less intimidating to families). It's equally beautiful and has a wonderful area high on the mountain that's set aside for snowshoeing. (That's a treat; it seems like too often the snowshoers are relegated to the roadside golf course at the bottom of the hill.) We also love the warm cookies that attendants hand out at the base area of Beaver Creek at the end of the day. Whoever thought of that was a marketing genius. We've got that on our agenda for later this week. Until then, it's toes to the fireplace in the lobby of the lodge. We've got a lot of relaxing to do. Pamela LeBlanc writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: pleblanc@statesman.com. 