Starbucks Vail mug: Discovery Series

By The Starbucks Cups team · Last checked 2026-10-08 · How we make these pages

Starbucks Discovery Series Vail mug with an angler, a chairlift and snowy mountains around the word VAIL — Front view · numbered markers match the list below Show markers

The Vail mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the town name in yellow over a dark green circle, with an angler in a yellow jacket, a chairlift with two riders, snowy mountains, a glass of golden drink and snowflakes.

Series: Discovery Series
Place: Vail, Colorado, USA
Type: Mug
Released: Not confirmed
Capacity: 14 fl ozstandard mug size
SKU: Not confirmed

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The permit Vail was told it had no public need for

On May 11, 1959, Pete Seibert and Earl Eaton applied to the U.S. Forest Service for a permit to develop the mountain at Vail ^[1]. The agency said no. According to the Vail Daily, its reply was that there was "no real public need for the development at this time" ^[2]. Seibert had heard no before. After he was wounded in the war, doctors said he might never walk again, and that skiing was out of the question ^[3]. Two years earlier Eaton had taken him to the top of the mountain, a seven-hour trip breaking trail the whole way ^[4]. Their attorneys appealed at once, and the permit came through on 9 September 1959 ^[5]. Vail opened on 15 December 1962 at 9 a.m., with one gondola, two chairlifts and $5 lift tickets ^[6]. The chairlift on the Vail mug (3) is the kind it opened with two of.

The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.

What's on the mug

1
Lettering
VAIL in yellow capitals over a dark green circle.
2
Angler
A person in a yellow cap and jacket holds a fishing rod, standing in blue water at the left of the lettering.
3
Chairlift
A chairlift with two riders hangs from cables at the right of the lettering.
4
Snowy mountains
Snow-capped mountains in pale blue and white run along the base.
5
Glass of golden drink
A tall glass of golden, bubbly drink stands at the upper right, beside the handle.
6
Snowflakes
Snowflakes in blue and pink drift above the lettering.
7
Large wheel
A large wheel-like shape stands at the left edge.
8
Snow tuber on film-strip slide Side view
A rider in a teal jacket sits on a yellow inner tube at the top of a slide made of a film strip.
9
Purple bus Side view
A white-and-purple bus with yellow wheels runs under the slide.
10
Film reel Side view
A large teal film reel sits at the right end of the film strip.
11
Log cabin Side view
A yellow log cabin with a blue roof stands near the base, with small pine trees to its right.
12
Wildcat Back view
A yellow wildcat with purple spots stands on a bridge at the left of this side.
13
Zipline rider Back view
A figure hangs from a zipline between two tall poles above the trees.
14
STARBUCKS wordmark Back view
The vertical STARBUCKS wordmark runs beside the handle on this side.

The photo shows one side of the mug. The back and the area behind the handle are out of view.

Collector notes

The inside of this mug is light blue, which shows at the rim in the photo.
Aspen and Colorado also have Discovery Series mugs on our checklists; this one is lettered VAIL.

Before you buy

The inside of this mug is light blue, and the photo shows only one side. Aspen and Colorado also have Discovery Series mugs; this one is lettered VAIL.