Early Riser and Carpooling

OK, we have a few issues going on that are worth discussing.



Each busy day Early Riser Lot fills up and we start parking High Noon and possibly Last Chance Lots. If you are heading straight to Pali Lift there is no question that parking in Early Riser is more desirable. If you are heading to one of the buildings first, one can argue that parking in High Noon is actually easier and faster than parking in Early Riser. That is where I park. On a busy day, as the inflow of cars slows down and the outflow of cars picks up, we phase out of parking and let people do it on their own. There is a transition period in there that is really tough to manage. As parking spots open up, we try and get cars into those spots. There is no doubt that you can be on the road, see an empty spot in Early Riser and get frustrated because you won't be allowed in the lot. We know that. We may have already sent 10 cars into the lot to find those 5 empty spots. We are doing our best to get people in and get the spots filled as best we can without completely clogging up all of the exit lanes. We try really hard to keep traffic moving along Highway 6. If traffic gets stopped on the highway, we are usually fairly direct with people to keep moving to avoid an accident. Sometimes this comes across roughly or rudely, but it is really for safety.



In most places in this country carpooling is encouraged. A-Basin is not different. There is no question that the less cars on the road, the more enjoyable the driving. There is no question that there is a green benefit to carpooling. There is also no question that, at A-Basin, the fewer cars (or the more carpoolers) the closer in everyone gets to park. Last spring we started leaving about 50 spots in Early Riser for carpoolers in an effort to encourage carpooling. This season, during the mid-day transition time at Early Riser, we have been allowing the people that carpool in first.



It is our objective to maximize our parking and get everyone in as close as possible. Our parking plan is created to do the best for everyone that visits The Basin. The plan is not designed to favor any demographic of skier over another. The skier set on parking in a very specific spot at a specific time, particularly in Early Riser at mid-day on a busy day may be disappointed. I apologize to those of you that have been upset with us at those times. Some of you have spoken loudly and clearly that you don't like us saving spots for carpoolers. We hear you and recognize there is room for us to do better. We will continue to improve our system and get those recently emptied spots in Early Riser filled as efficiently and as quickly as possible.



Lastly, skiing and riding at A-Basin is a beautiful thing. Parking here, even on a busy day in Upper Last Chance, is still vastly easier than parking at any other Summit County ski area. It is good karma to be nice to your parking attendant. He or she is doing their best to get you riding as soon as possible.



Thanks.