This house has its own funicular. That's a first. Vail Forest Road Ascension is an eight-bedroom contemporary alpine estate on one of Vail's most coveted residential streets, and a private funicular connects it with the related chalet on the property. That's the Aha Moment before you even get inside. Then there's a private pool, estate-scale entertaining space and room for eighteen people. The architecture feels modern and appropriately dramatic, but what I like is that the spectacle isn't disconnected from the setting. You're on Forest Road, immediately adjacent to the Vail Village world, so this isn't some giant trophy house isolated twenty minutes from everything. It's enormous. It's theatrical. But Vail is still right there. And if I'm renting an eight-bedroom estate for a major family gathering, I kind of want it to be a little ridiculous.