New Arapahoe Basin Sign

We have a new Arapahoe Basin sign. We will miss the old sign. Back in the 1990's A-Basin skier George Amenta did the stone work on the previous sign. I remember watching him collect the rocks during the summer up near the Humbug Chutes. It was a beautiful sign. Unfortunately, time wasn't being kind to it. 

The new sign is intentionally a bit taller so it can be seen when vehicles are parked in that area. As a tribute to George's work, we did save all the rocks and had a mason build the base of the new sign with the very same stones.

East Wall Alpenglow

The morning started cold, but it turned into a tremendous ski day. After a mid-day bowl of white bean chicken chili at BML, I enjoyed some really fun runs including The Spine on Pali and Thick and Thin and Alex in The Beavers. I also found some great snow out in The Knolls.  It was that very crisp kind of afternoon and skiing was the perfect activity. Once the lifts closed, I had a quick skin back to BML and caught this alpenglow on The Wall.

Mid Mountain View

Despite being a bit chilly, it was another beautiful winter day with really good skiing. Tomorrow, the temps should warm up a fair bit.

Another Really Good Day

Today was another beauty. We had light, intermittent snowfall all day long. You couldn't quite call it a powder day, but certainly every run was creamier than the previous run. It is still snowing a little right now with maybe another inch expected by morning. I am certain Sunday will have a great start.

The Ski Patrol continues their work with limited openings in places like Marmot and Black Bear. With the next storm expected to start mid-week, the skiing will continue to improve and the amount of terrain open will keep growing.

What A Day, What A Vibe

What a day. We started with sunshine. That quickly turned into intermittent snow showers, probably amounting to an inch or two of new snow throughout the day. It was enough to make the skiing even funner. By day's end, the sun popped out prepping for a colorful sunset. 

I just did a walk through the A-Frame. Hobo Village was rocking in the 6th Alley. Bumpy was working his craft in Marnie's. More than a dozen people came up to me raving about their experiences, both today and for the season. The vibe was spot on. It was fun.

December 26 Lift Line

As you guys all know, we made some big changes over the last year leaving the Epic Pass and joining the Ikon Pass. The major objective, of course, was to ease crowding. It has worked. Skiers and riders at The Basin this season have loved it. We have had virtually no lift lines and parking has been a piece of cake. Even this week, which you might expect to be crowded, will be relatively mellow because the Ikon Base Pass is blocked out. On top of that, the skiing is great. Hope you can enjoy some of the holidays here.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from Arapahoe Basin. We enjoyed a beautiful snowy Christmas Day. Hope everyone had a chance to enjoy this beautiful day and this beautiful skiing.

Lower Mountain Holiday Frosting

The snowmaking season is winding down. Most of our projects are done. The snowmakers have half a dozen fan guns scattered about the Lower Mountain. They are working to fatten up our core trails and put a nice, soft layer on top for the holidays.

Cruising At The Basin

I had a really good afternoon family ski session on Monday. We did a couple of great laps on The Spine and a few more on the North Side. While there was some high thin clouds, it felt kind of sunny.  We found good skiing in Lenawee Parks and, as always, the Lower Mountain was sweet. We had a great spin in Zuma skiing Columbine and a few areas off to the East. It was a beautiful day. It felt really good.

Friendly Faces

And it was a beautiful day. The skiing is still very good especially on Slalom Slope and Lenawee Parks. I had a good time skiing around, visiting with people and listening to A-Basin stories. It warms my heart to hear how much The Basin means to so many people. I want to thank all of the wonderful folks that have chosen to ski and ride here and make Arapahoe Basin such a special place.

Passholder Appreciation Week

We have been enjoying Passholder Appreciation Week. I will out and about skiing on the hill Saturday from 11:00 to 1:00 with $2 Mountain Time Lager tokens and free hot cocoa tickets. If we bump into each, I would love to share. Also, I will be hanging from 2:00 to 3:00 in the 6th Alley. Hope to see you there.

Tomorrow should be another spectacular, warm mostly sunny day. The skiing is beautiful.

Enjoying Loafer its opening day.

A Good Day In Zuma

We had a good opening in Montezuma Bowl. The Lazy J was in tip top condition.We had partly cloudy skies and perfect grooming. There was a little bit of powder skiing to be found in the Lower 14ers. Given a little time, the Patrollers will start inching their way towards Independence, Lower Larkspur and MGD. It is another world back there. A perfect place for skiers and riders. 

All of our chairlifts and much of our terrain is now open. With light crowds, the snow quality has remained super high.

Zuma Bowl - Opens 1 PM Thursday

The Lift Crew, the Cat Drivers and the Ski Patrollers are just about ready. In fact, they will be ready tomorrow. Montezuma Bowl will open for the season Thursday, December 19 at 1 PM. Open trails will include Columbine, Upper Larkspur, Independence, Northern Spy and more. Over the next several days, more and more chunks of terrain will be opened. The groomed surfaces are superb. There will be some nooks and crannies with powder turns. And it is hard to beat those Zuma views.

More Fine Skiing

After a couple of very cold days, Wednesday is shaping up to be a beauty. With partly sunny skies, the temps should get into the high 20's. As the photos indicates, the snow surface is fantastic. There are no lift lines anywhere. Opening The Beavers has been a treat. The terrain west of Loafer, Glockenspiel Glade, Pioneer Willy, Bighorn, et al, opened today with some fine skiing. I hope to get  a good update on Zuma Wednesday afternoon. The cats are still working there and I know we are very close.

Montezuma Bowl Progress

The two feet of snow from the last storm was very good to Montezuma Bowl. Prior to the storm, we had done extensive work with snowcats, the disruption roller and explosives. That said, the snow was prepped quite well. Today, the cats made it to the bottom of Zuma Lift. The Patrollers triggered a few slides in West Zuma. We will spend the next few days getting the place ready. Both the Cat Drivers and the Patrollers have a ton of work to do. Stay tuned for updates on their progress.

Stunning and a Little Chilly

We had a stunning day out there. I went out for the last couple hours of the day skiing The Face, The Spine, Main Street, North Glade, Standard and Slalom Slope. Great conditions all around. It was a tad chilly, being a mitten afternoon and I wore gloves. The snow is excellent.

Two Feet For The Storm

Well, the storm is winding down. It was a really good one. Final storm count was 24 inches of new snow. It wasn't just a good storm, it was a good week. The skiing is great. Pali Lift is open. The Beavers Lift is open. Yesterday, the spirit and the energy of guests and employees was super high. The fun meter was maxed out.  There are still some nooks and crannies to get open. All eyes will be on Montezuma Bowl in the coming week. 

Today I think my afternoon will include several laps on The Spine and Loafer (plus a few spots in between) and some quality time in Marnie's.

I Think Today Was Better

We reported a very fat 7" of new snow today. It has been snowing all day......again. Today's snow was less wind affected than yesterday's snow. Blower Pow would be a good description.

Davis in the Beavers opened before 9 AM. Loafer followed about an hour later. Both trails were incredible. Alex, Jetta and Jaeger all had limited openings. I skied all three of them and it was like skiing a foot and a half of new snow. I couldn't stop smiling. So, So GOOD. In the next half hour Thick and Thin will have a limited opening. Of all my runs this morning, that one was the best and that is saying something

Pali and the Alleys are now open regularly along with Standard and 13 Cornices. As I write, there is a limited opening going on in North Glade.

We couldn't ask for more.

Today Was Really Good - Tomorrow Might Be Better

Today was tremendous. We reported 10" at 5 AM, but a whole lot more snow fell during the day. The skiing and riding was beautiful. The Ski Patrol opened the 13 Cornices, Standard, International Zone and Pali from East Avenue to the 4th Alley. We are still on track to open the Beavers Lift tomorrow morning. The exact time will be dictated by this evening's weather events. The Cat Drivers have a big night ahead of them. The Ski Patrollers will be in before dawn preparing to run routes. We are expecting heavy snow again after midnight and during the day tomorrow.

Today was really good. Tomorrow might be better.

Big Powder - Beavers - North Side

This is a big powder day, we have a foot of new snow and there is possibly another foot, or more, to follow. Mother Nature has provided.

The Beavers will open Saturday morning. The exact time will be dictated by weather events the next 24 hours. We will start with Loafer and Davis and, I suspect, additional terrain will follow. The skiing out there is awesome.

This is a good weather event for the North Side. As I write, we have several snow safety teams running routes. Looking out my window, it is snowing so hard I can barely see Tower 4 on BMX. As the morning progresses, more snow falls and the Patrollers complete their work, a few treats may be available.

This is an incredible storm cycle for us. Check out the "Atmospheric River" in the image below.

Getting So Much Better All The Time

I don't think a narrative is necessary.

Snowing All Day

The storm started early and it has been snowing all day.

We Are Poised

We are sitting in an ideal position, poised to have all kinds of skiing available very soon. Already, the quality of the skiing is outstanding. Much of the terrain available from the top of Pali has been skied and is packed. The Patrollers are working in the Steep Gullies today. All the lifts are ready to go. The Snowmakers are finishing up a stellar job on Norway. Trevor is track packing Davis with the winch cat for the second time. Loafer is not far behind. We have a really good forecast for snow Thursday night thru Sunday. Conditions wise, we are in the perfect spot, ready to receive and capitalize on this next storm. Assuming we get decent snow and a good till from the Cat Drivers, a Beavers opening is right around the corner.......maybe this weekend.

And the Cat Drivers are already 80% of the way down Columbine to the bottom of Zuma Lift.

Fine Day On Pali - Snowstang

It was a fine day on the Pallavicini Lift. The sun was out, the air was cold and the snow was soft. Beautiful skiing and riding especially on Slalom Slope. The Ski Patrol did a little directed skiing on Main Street, Pali Face and the 3rd and 4th Alleys. Riding Pali is fun.

Our weekend Snowstang bus service starts this Saturday. At a round-trip price of $25 from Union Station and the Federal Center to Arapahoe Basin, this is a smoking hot deal. Plus it gets cars off the road, cars out of the parking lot and produces less greenhouse gases. Avoid the headaches of drving and be a good citizen. For more details go to:

A-Basin Snowstang

Pallavicini Lift - OPEN

Oh Yeah. Pali Lift opens for the season tomorrow, Tuesday, December 10, 2019. That is a pretty good starting date. Some years it opens later. Some year it opens earlier (last year was November 24). This year falls in the average range. Conditions are good on West Wall, Slalom Slope and Grizzly. The Ski Patrol might sneak in some directed skiing and limited openings in surprise places.

The next few days should remain cold and be partly cloudy. According to forecasts, Mother Nature's snow machine fires up again later in the week. When that happens we will pushing more and more into steeper terrain on the North side. The Beavers isn't too far from opening. The cat drivers and patrollers will be spending lots of time there Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The "World" is about to get a lot bigger.

It makes my day riding Pali Lift.

First Rides - Pali and Beavers

It is snowing with the heaviest precipitation expected this afternoon and tonight !!!

Yesterday, I took my first rides of the season on Pallavicini and Beavers Lifts. I also skied Loafer. The Snowcat Crew has track packed Loafer and Davis side to side. Once this storm is complete, they will do the same thing again. Those efforts will create a good solid base. With another storm in the forecast later in the week, conditions are setting up nicely. As I mentioned yesterday, getting Pali Lift open is in the works. I don't think the Beavers Lift will be far behind.

Did I mention it was snowing?

Slalom Slope

I took a couple of fine skiing laps on Slalom Slope this morning. The Ski Patrol has done some limited openings here. Managing snow in terrain like this can be a delicate situation. When snow gets packed or disrupted, it gets firmer. When it gets firmer, it holds up better to skier traffic. As we start getting snow on trails like Slalom Slope, the Ski Patrol starts ski cutting and boot packing. As the snow gets deeper, we start doing limited openings, basically getting a few people on the trail for limited periods of time. If we put too much pressure on the snow too quickly, it simply gets skied to the ground. It is a delicate blending of putting the right pressure on the snow, not over-doing the pressure and giving our guests great skiing (and they really want great skiing). 

Right now with a little bit of traffic, Slalom Slope is skiing very nicely. We should see some snow tomorrow. We will continue to put traffic on the trail, packing it nicely, integrating the new snow with the old snow.  We want to avoid simply tearing it up. It also it looks like more snow starting Thursday. If these storms come through, we will be in a really good place.

Somewhere in the middle of all this activity, we will likely get Pali Lift open for the season.