Vail Computer Elements Workshop
Vail Logistics Information
VCEW 2023 Attendee Notes
Reminder - in 2023 we will be at neither the historic home of VCEW (The Christiania) nor the Arabelle as used in 2022. VCEW 2023 will be held in The Lodge in Vail Village, June 11-14.
Vail Info
There’s a bunch of info online about Vail and things to do. You can start at discovervail.com and go from there.
Reminder
VCEW is an off the record Workshop. Please don’t photograph slides presented, nor record the presentations. Do feel free to ask speakers for copies of slides. Please bring a business card or two so we can make up a list of attendees who want their contact info shared with others.
Transportation to Colorado and Vail
The nearest major airport to Vail is Denver International Airport (DIA) with hundreds of flights through various major air carriers. Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) is also available as a much smaller, more expensive, and more limited option.
Transportation from Denver International Airport to Vail:
There are many options to reach Vail from Denver.
Many attendees choose to rent a car - it’s about a two and a half hour drive from the airport.
“Ridesharing" services such as Uber or Lyft are available but services may be extremely limited or unreliable at times.
Transportation in Vail
Vail is largely walkable, but for longer excursions the Town of Vail offers a free in-town bus service:
https://www.vailgov.com/bus-schedules#la-1768353-intown-buses
Altitude Effects
While Vail Village is rather lovely, and set in magnificent mountain scenery, it also enjoys an altitude of at least 8000 feet (around 2500m).
This altitude has three major and immediate effects:
To help deal with the effects of all this, consider following the Altitude Sickness Prevention tips from https://thinkvail.com/preventing-altitude-sickness-in-colorado/ excerpted here:
Altitude Sickness Prevention
Please note: nobody in the VCEW organisation is qualified to offer medical advice and these notes are simply to remind you of the known effects of altitude on most people. If you know, or have reason to believe, that altitude presents out of the ordinary risks for you, it is your responsibility to have discussed the situation and what you should do with your medical advisors.
Accommodation
The Workshop fee includes accommodation at the Workshop hotel. You may bring a companion to share your room for an extra fee; the fee covers all the workshop events and food. Details on the Registration page.
Food
The Workshop provides meals as part of the Workshop fee.
The evenings start with getting together for a Reception with drinks, munchies and conversations (place announced during the workshop) followed by a dinner generally at a restaurant in Vail Village (as described in the Program).
Folk with special dietary requirements are encouraged to let a member of the Committee know as soon as possible. If you’ve registered someone as a second person in your room, they’re invited to all of this.
Participant Activities
Tuesday afternoon is traditionally time off for workshop participants, providing an opportunity to explore the region alone or with with other attendees.
Family Activities
While best-known for winter sports, Vail (and Colorado as a whole) is also a summertime tourism destination. So there should be plenty to see and enjoy if you’ve brought your family along.
Vail Tourism
The Vail Tourism Site also provides information about the various activities in town. Please visit them at https://www.visitvailvalley.com/
Continuous Improvement Scheme
To make this Guide more helpful in the future, please feel free to email suggestions of Good Things that others may enjoy (and possibly of Absolute Disasters that others may like to be warned about) - and suggestions in general - to the Membership Chair - peter.j.wilson@mac.com - at your convenience