Images From The Day

 

We Will Be Open Saturday

Arapahoe Basin will not open Friday. After minimal slide activity on The Professor, our Snow Safety Team moved on to the Widowmaker. The last big shot of the day triggered a large slide on the Widowmaker depositing a significant amount of snow and timber on Highway 6. Currently, we have snowcats, loaders and plows working to clear the highway. This is not a small task. Staff will work well into evening clearing the road.

We have had a very big couple of days around here. There have been plenty of challenges to work through. A-Basin, CDOT and CAIC staff worked collectively getting us through this avalanche cycle. We are pleased to announce Arapahoe Basin will open with normal operating hours Saturday.

No Slide On The Professor

After some very large shots on The Professor, there was minimal slide activity. The crew is moving over to the Widowmaker for similar work. Depending on results, once the Widowmaker work is completed, we should be able to make some good decisions about opening. Look for another update by 2 PM.

Look for an update at 1 pm

We have no updates at this time.  We will update again at 1 pm.

Active Avalanche Work Taking Place

We are still not open. 

Late into the evening yesterday, our snow safety leaders were on the phone working with CDOT and CAIC. We have secured additional resources to help manage the avalanche concerns along Highway 6. This morning several staff members from the two Colorado agencies are working with our Snow Safety Team delivering explosives to the areas of concern. The teams are in the field now and the work continues. 

I know that the anxiety and excitement to go skiing is growing in the Arapahoe Basin clan. Getting the additional resources and putting today's plan into place was a very big and positive step on the path to re-opening. We will update our message by noon today.

The News Is Not All Bad

In previous blogs today I pretty clearly outlined our avalanche challenges. That is the bad news. The good news is that all this snow is making for some great skiing. The Ski Patrol was all over the place today, working and skiing the Front Side, The North Side, The Steep Gullies, The Beavers and Montezuma Bowl. They have a very good handle on what is going on within our boundary.

I did get up to the Summit a couple of times and was able to ski Lenawee Parks, Norway and Exo Face. For those of you jonesing to go skiing, it is as good as you can possibly imagine. Be patient on the highway and avalanche issues. It can get deeper, but conditions are as incredible as you could ever want.

We Will Not Open Friday Morning

We will not open first thing Friday morning. While it is our intention to open sometime during the day Friday, we will have to see how the avalanche mitigation work goes. There is substantial work planned for the morning.  It absolutely pains me to say this but, PLEASE stay away until we can get this situation resolved. We will have another update on the website and the blog by 9 AM Friday.

This is a time of great uncertainty. We have wildly changing weather and snowpack conditions. This afternoon we saw a couple more large slides on the East Wall - TJ's and Jet Chute. The Professor and Widowmaker are still critical and unresolved concerns. I realize that some people want to know an exact time when things are going to happen. Unfortunately, we are working on Mother Nature's terms right now. While she is really delivering the goods with these storms, she isn't always easy to work with.

When the times comes, I will be begging you to come skiing. And you will love it.

UPDATE - Closed, Extreme Avalanche Conditions

We have seen a bit of avalanche activity in the East Wall / Humbug Chutes area. We haven't seen too many other avalanches within the ski area although there are still many areas yet to be traveled. Our major concerns are the avalanche paths that threaten the highway and the base area, specifically The Professor and the Widowmaker. CDOT did shoot The Professor this morning without results. There was a large natural slide out of Grizzly Bowl that touched the highway just above the CDOT Barn.

We do have teams working on the mountain. The Ski Patrollers are running their avalanche routes. The Lift Crew is digging out the chairlifts and getting them going. Snow plows and snowcats are trying to keep travel lanes open. The Base Area crew is shoveling and shoveling and shoveling trying to un-bury the buildings.

We had a brief lull in snowfall, but it has picked back up again. We may see several more inches by morning. At this time, no one in our leadership circle is comfortable opening the highway and the parking lots. We continue to work very closely with CDOT. There is no chance we will open today. Our avalanche mitigation efforts are continuing. Stay tuned for more updates about tomorrow.