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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
