Thursday, September 30, 2021

More September Snow

Today we close out September with more snowfall. Most of this snow won't last, but a little bit of it might on the highest and most north facing aspects. The snowline was about the same elevation as the base area. The precipitation the last couple days has been very good for streamflows, vegetation and A-Basin in general.


 

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Final Summer Weekend

This will be our final summer weekend. You can still sign up for the Aerial Adventure Park and the Via Ferrata. The chairlift will be open. The most exciting story, Colorado Superstar Hazel Miller will be playing blues, jazz, pop and gospel tunes Saturday in Mountain Goat Plaza from 1-4. Come celebrate the day with us as we transition from late Summer/Fall into Fall/early Winter. Next time we get everyone together there will be snow on the ground.



Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Alpenglow

Ski Patroller Jasmine shared this photo she took this afternoon of the alpenglow up on the East Wall. I like it.


 

Monday, September 20, 2021

A Little Bit Of Snow

A nice storm blew through last night. The webcam at Black Mountain Lodge shows a little bit of snow up on the hill. Like earlier dustings, this snow won't last. We have a sunny week forecast, but temperatures won't be quite as warm. We should see highs in the 50's and low 60's. Not quite snowmaking weather yet, but that time isn't too far away.



Saturday, September 18, 2021

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest was a big hit today. Loads and loads of people rode Black Mountain Express. I ate my share of brats. The lederhosen and dirndl are the ideal summer outfits at The Basin. Those Austrian Guys stole the show, again. All and all, just great fun





Friday, September 17, 2021

Employee Vaccination Mandate

Managing Arapahoe Basin through the COVID era has been an extraordinary challenge for all of us that work at the resort. From the beginning there was so much uncertainty. Some of our guests felt we were too restrictive in our operations. Others felt we did not do enough. Throughout the past 18 months we have had to follow very stringent operating guidelines from county and state agencies. We were constantly dealing with moving targets. Despite it all, we still provided a fun and energizing place for hundreds of thousands of people to play in the mountains. 

Arapahoe Basin will require that all of its employees have the COVID-19 vaccination. Right now about 90% of our staff are vaccinated. All current, unvaccinated employees will have to receive their final shot by November 2. New employees will have one week from their start date to begin the vaccination process and six weeks to receive their final shot. 

Our intention is to protect the safety and well-being of our employees and guests and to keep our business open, viable and sustainable. By requiring vaccinations, we will reduce the chance of employees transmitting and contracting the disease as well as reduce the amount of business interruption caused by employee absences related to illness and quarantines. 

This is not a decision we take lightly. We feel strongly that requiring employee vaccinations is our best step forward.







Thursday, September 16, 2021

Flying Verizon

We just had another helicopter day. The KMAX machine flew the actual tower and its support building to the summit. You Verizon users are getting that much closer to having service up here.


 

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Long Shadows

Walking through the Base Area just now, I was particularly taken by the view up towards The Professor. The smoke free skies, late day light and long shadows made for very nice viewing. The willows on Molly Hogan and the aspens on the Lower Prof are a fine autumn gold. While the sun was warm, the light breeze gave me the slightest of Fall chills. Today is the finest of days.



Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Oktoberfest

This Saturday is Oktoberfest, one of my very favorite events of the year. Those Austrian Guys will be sharing the tunes of Munich beer halls. You can buy a stein from A-Basin online. Chef Rybak will be serving up brats and pretzels and beer. Those are my favorite food groups.

Come up a little early and enjoy free chairlift rides. Saturday morning would be a perfect time to enjoy the Aerial Adventure Park. There are a few spots left for Via Ferrata tours. And, of course, there is the new Wheels Up Trail to ride. So much to do and only one day of Oktoberfest.


 


Sunday, September 12, 2021

From The Spine

Friday I enjoyed a nice wander over on Pali. There were some Fall colors popping out. Enjoy this wide angle view looking down The Spine and with Pali Outpost in the top right corner.


 

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Il Rifugio

We are doing a small expansion at Il Rifugio this summer and fall. Obviously, the restaurant was not open last season, but it was a huge success the previous year. We are expanding the dining room and adding a new entrance. For those of you that like charcuterie, lattes, a glass of wine and other great fare from the Alps, this will be an even better place to visit.




 

75 Years

In December Arapahoe Basin will celebrate its 75th Anniversary. That year Larry Jump and his crew installed a rope tow in the meadow just south of Black Mountain Lodge. Two single chairlifts would be installed the following season approximately where Black Mountain Express exists and where old Norway Lift used to exist. Those guys had some amazing vision.



Friday, September 10, 2021

The Old Pali Bullwheel

The Old Pali Bullwheel is still resting nicely at the tippy top of the Top of Pali. This will always be a special place for me to visit. And the view isn't bad either.


 

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

From Grizzly Peak

Check out the photo of The Basin taken from Grizzly Peak by Andrew Greene yesterday.


 

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Bike Trail Construction

We had another good week building the lower portion of the Beavers Loop Trail. Ultimately, that trail will be a downhill bike trail from the Summit to Black Mountain Lodge. In about 3 weeks, or so, the portion from the top of Radical to BML will be finished. I hope you can sneak in a good loop ride before the snow flies.



 

Monday, September 6, 2021

A Bit of Fall Color

We are seeing a bit of Fall color around here. The willows are starting to change. A few aspens have turned yellow. I had to scrape my windshield Saturday morning. We still have a lot of warm weather to go, but The Change has begun.


 

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Cirque Series

Yesterday, we hosted our Annual Cirque Series Trail Race. Julian Carr did another exceptional job pulling together an extraordinary event. 500 runners turned out to take on the 1,890 vertical foot, 6.8 mile course. Starting in the base area, athletes blazed their way to the summit of Little Lenawee Peak. Joe Gray won the race, smoking the bottom to top to bottom course in 55 minutes and 10 seconds. Very cool day here.



Saturday, September 4, 2021

Season Passes - Any Day Passes

Usually when I write a blog post pushing any kind of sales, nobody reads my post. That said, I still have to do it every once in a while. Season pass and 3, 4, and 5-day Any Day Passes will see a price increase Wednesday, September 8. Unrestricted, adult season passes will go up in price from $599 to $699. Remember our key strategy on passes is, the earlier you buy, the better deal you get. The absolute cheapest time to buy is March and April when passes first go on sale.

Anyway for whatever it is worth, if you want a pass, buy it now. Don't forget, we are going to sell 10% fewer passes this year than last.



Friday, September 3, 2021

Family Outing

This morning the Henceroth/Kirkland family made an outing out of the A-Basin Via Ferrata. It certainly is not an easy adventure. For those of us that enjoy working a bit to get to wild, out of the way places, the Via Ferrata is a beautiful treat. We had a blast. The sky, clouds and sun gave us lots exciting panoramic views. It would have been impossible to have more fun.




 

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Dust

September, time to start dusting these babies off.


 

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Taking Shape

The Steilhang Hut is taking shape. There is now a sense of the views from the windows and from the deck. This will be a very dramatic place. Watching it goes up gives me the chills - in a very good way.