BBQ @ BML

The spring BBQs at Black Mountain Lodge are in prime season. I had a stellar pulled pork sandwich up there today. Jenny, here, was especially fascinated by the food presentation. Hard to go wrong having BBQ on a day like this. Oh yeah, skied some great slush bumps.

No Lake Reveal Yet

No Lake Reveal just yet. I probed around and the snow was about 3' deep until I hit the "Lake Ice". No sign of water. Despite the warm weather, March is a little early for pond skimming. Had just another beautiful spring day here. Saturday looks to be another good one and there are snowflake pictures in the Sunday/Monday forecast. Lots of people, both working and playing, enjoying the nice day here.

Spring Skiing

Again, I had another nice spring skiing afternoon yesterday. The Spine is still great although Paliwog is getting a little narrow. The Upper Mountain runs I skied, Dorsey's Downhill, West Wall, and West Gulley, were all really good early spring skiing. Dorsey's Downhill is named after 30-year Snowcat Operator Gerry Dorsey. That guy seems to make snow with his cat. I know most of you have carved many a turn enjoying his work.

Enjoy this photo of The Spine and Face sent to me by George Heron on Tuesday.

Dave Is Hanging Up The Skis

After a full career teaching music to middle school kids and an (overlapping) 25 years with the Arpahoe Basin Ski Patrol, Dave Myers is retiring. He will be sorely missed. Dave has always been one of those strong, quiet, steady guys getting the job done every day. I always felt confident and secure when I knew Dave was taking care of the "issue du jour." I guess he will be whittlin' away in his rocker on the porch of his house near Woodland Park. Those are some big shoes to fill. The place won't quite be the same without him. Take care of yourself Dave.

Montezuma Bowl is Closed - For Now...

I am afraid I have to share some bad news with you. Montezuma Bowl and Lift are closed, at least for now. This season’s unseasonably warm temperatures, below average snowfall, and wind events have prompted this early closure. Based on long term weather records, April is our snowiest month and April and May have a combined snowfall average of seven feet. If the temperatures, precipitation, and Montezuma Bowl snow cover return to more normal levels, we have every intention of re-opening the Bowl. Stay tuned for updates.

I know this is disappointing, but the good news is that we are having some incredible spring skiing, albeit a little early. Come join us for some great fun on the Beach and on the front side.

No Bonus Pass Next Year

We have had several questions about the Bonus Pass. We will not be offering that for the 2012-13 Season. I know it was a great product. We will continue to be part of the Vail Resorts Pass program. Working closely with the Vail group, both staff at A-Basin and Vail thought it was in neither of our interests for us to continue to sell the Vail Resorts lift tickets as part of the Bonus Pass.

Both the A-Basin Pass and the Spring 3-Pass are outstanding products for those of you that ski primarily at A-Basin. If you want to ski more areas, Vail continues to offer a number of great products that include A-Basin. Between A-Basin and Vail Resorts I am sure you can still find your ideal pass product at a very competitive rate.

Thanks for your patience on this and please give me a shout if you have further questions.

Beach Season

Beach season was in full swing in the Early Riser Parking Lot. BBQ's and beach attire were the themes. I did a little grazing down there myself and had a bratwurst with Chris Carson and all the Team Summit folks having their annual BBQ. The afternoon, again, was fantastic spring skiing. Had several fun runs with Patio and Becs. Just another really beautiful day.

Blue Skies

Can the sky be anymore blue? Absolutely incredible afternoon here. Had a couple of great slush runs on Slalom Slope and Columbine a bit ago. Dragon still had good winter snow. We are looking at one spectacular weekend. Beach season has arrived. Grab the skis and the hawaiian shirt.

$299 A-Basin Season Pass - That's Crazy

Hard to believe, but we are selling 2012-13 season passes already. Best deal anywhere. Open October to June. No blackout days. No restrictions. Best Mountain. Best Snow. Best vibe. Best food. Best bar. Best beach. Buy now and it is good for the rest of this season and next season. ONLY $299 through closing day. ONLY $279 for people with 2011-12 A-Basin Pass, A-Basin Bonus Pass, Legend's 4-Pass, Holiday 3-Pass, and Spring 3-Pass through April 30, 2012.

How can you not buy this? For all the details and to make a purchase go to arapahoebasin.com.

Another Beautiful Day on the Hill

Another beautiful day on the hill. Just had some great runs on Columbine and Shining Light in Montezuma Bowl, and Slalom Slope, Lenawee Parks, Sundance and Wrangler on the Front Side. Way cool. Skied from about 1-3 PM and the conditions were perfect. Soft in Zuma and mostly winter snow on the Front Side. Looks like we are heading right into Beach Season.

Photos

The storm didn't quite materialize the way I hoped, but we have still had very nice days up here. Attached are some photos a friend took Monday.

Storm Rolling In

The storm just rolled in. I am hearing 3-7" by tomorrow afternoon. March and April are historically our two snowiest months of the year. Like all of you, I am ready for some big spring snow. Nothing would make me happier than seeing all those snow plows, snow blowers, and human shovellers getting a good workout

Last Day of Spring

This has been quite a warm spell. It looks like today is the last day of this "Pre-Spring Spring". Tomorrow should be quite cooler with snow moving in later in the day. Today should be another stellar one with warm temperatures and blue skies. Come join us for spring snow in Zuma or winter snow on the Upper Mountain and the North Side.

Spring and Winter

Mid-March and we are now seeing signs of spring. The skiing on the front side is still overwhelmingly winter conditions. The skiing in Montezuma Bowl is substantially early spring skiing. It is not quite full blown slush bumps, but there is some soft snow moving around after the sun warms things up. Looks like we have to put up with another 3-4 more days of this spectacular bluebird weather and then we will see a return to winter this weekend.

Good Days Off

Had a great Sunday and Monday off. Kay and I spent a few hours Sunday skiing the North Side. The Face continues to be outstanding and there is a great line down the right side of the Upper 4th Alley. Lots of good skiing out there. Sunday a buddy and I hiked from Loveland Pass to the summit of Grizzly Peak 13,427'. Incredible views of The Basin all along the way.

Bumpy's Beacon Basin

Beacon Basin is up and running near the bottom of Lenawee Mountain Lift. Thanks to a generous donation from the guys at Backcountry Access (BCA), we have an avalanche beacon training site open to the public. Guests have a chance to practice their beacon skills. This is a great opportunity to easily get a whole bunch of training. Special thanks to the ski patrol for setting up all the equipment.

Just Another Perfect Day

Just another perfect bluebird day at The Basin. You would almost think that spring has sprung. At Arapahoe that usually means the big snow is right around the corner.

No Moguls

Tremendous skiing today. The wind has been kind. There are almost no moguls on the mountain. Lenawee Parks, Main Street, and The Face were all buffed and smooth. I heard MGD was soft and sweet in the afternoon. Late morning I had a great run on winter snow on a groomed Columbine in Montezuma Bowl. Top that off with some ideal deck weather at Black Mountain Lodge. We just bought a whole bunch of new picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. Come enjoy.

Front Range Ski Bus

With spring right around the corner, parking can be an issue for us. For some reason in the spring, the average number of people per vehicle goes down, particularly following big storms. That means that on some spring weekends we have the same number of people skiing, but more cars. A priority for us this spring is to encourage skiers and riders to carpool, take the Summit Stage, and ride the Front Range Ski Bus.

The Front Range Ski Bus is a great service out of the Denver area. The bus picks people up in South Denver, Union Station, and the Morrison Park-n-Ride lots and brings them to A-Basin. After a full day of skiing, the bus heads back to the same 3 locations in Denver. Getting cars off I-70 is good for so many reasons; there is a smaller carbon footprint, there is less traffic, there is less demand for parking lots, you can relax and rest on the journey, we offer discounted lift tickets to bus riders, and perhaps best of all, you can enjoy The 6th Alley. This is a great program for all of us. I encourage all of you to give it a shot at least once this spring. For details, rates, and schedules go to frontrangeskibus.com. Thanks.

Spring 3 Pass

With the great pre-spring skiing we have had around here the last few days, it is time to announce the Spring 3 Pass Sale. For only $148 you get 3 days of skiing for the price of 2. Ideal for the spring A-Basin visit. They are on sale until April 17. Details can be found on our website.

I was off Sunday and Monday so, of course, I spent the days skiing at the Basin. Awesome. The Alleys were the best they have been all year. Fantasic. Had great skiing in MGD. As always The Spine was fantastic. There were a lot of smiling faces out there. Sorry, I was having so much fun I forgot my camera.

Busy Couple of Days

It has been a couple of busy, happening days around here. Yesterday we hosted a fireman's hose race. Five firefighters hold on to a 50' fire house and ski and ride through a race course. It is quite fun and, sometimes, quite funny. The end guy sometimes gets just a little whip. After the race, The Luv Brothers were playing in the 6th Alley and it was an especially active apres' ski scene. I think we needed more shot skis for the firemen.

The snow was great today. As we say at The Basin, the weather was a tad bit blustery. Much of the day was overcast, but the sun popped out for one of those glorious afternoons. It made for a little bit chilly of a day, but the snow and skiing was outstanding. The forecast for Sunday looks to be sunny skies with moderate wind and temps in the 20's. Sounds like a perfect A-Basin day to me.