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Cow's Face

Black diamond Vail, CO

Steepest pitch31°
Vertical1,004 ft
Length2,736 ft
Average pitch22°
FacesSE
Top11,029 ft

Cow's Face drops 1,004 vertical feet over 2,736 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 31° about 2,410 feet below the top. That's steeper than 63% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 41st steepest of 194 named runs at Vail. It faces southeast.

How well Cow's Face holds snow

Snow preservationPoor

Facing southeast at an average 22°, Cow's Face gets about 137% of the winter sun that flat ground at Vail does, December through March. That's sunnier than 95% of the runs we've measured, and the 8th sunniest named run at Vail. Its top sits at 11,030 feet.

Angled toward the low winter sun, it bakes: powder turns heavy soon after a storm, and in spring it softens early in the day and refreezes hard overnight. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Cow's Face profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Cow's Face elsewhere

Nearby at Vail

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.