Lenawee Express

 

Open For Summer

 Today is the first official day of Summer.  We are now open with the Aerial Adventure Park, The Via Ferrata, Black Mountain express is spinning and the 6th Alley is open with some tasty food for summer.  

With the wet  and cold weather that we have had in June our Hiking, Biking and Disc Golf course are not quite ready. Our team is working hard shoveling and hoping with the help of mother nature they dry out soon.  

It's OK To Daydream

 

Olive, Next Favorite Staffer

 

The World Cup

Certainly one of the coolest times of the season was watching Argentina win the World Cup final in the 6th Alley with our newly arrived Argentinian friends and team members.

 

Your Favorite Faces

 

1952 A-Basin Movie

I really enjoy finding bits of A-Basin history. Attached is a link to Youtube posted by the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame. There is some excellent A-Basin footage of skiing, riding rope tows, poma lifts and the first chairlift, a single chair, out of the base area. Over the years trees and trails have changed. It is fun to figure where the scenes were shot. Check out  1952 A-Basin Movie

Getting The Park Ready

The Aerial Adventure crew has been busy getting their park ready for summer. Snow has been shoveled from the trails. While most of the park stays in place in winter, a few elements, like the zip lines, are taken down. They have been re-installing those features. Prior to opening, contractors, Forest Service and State inspectors and engineers give the park a good "going over." That process has begun and the place will be in tip-top shape when it opens Friday, June 23.

Dozing After Closing

Following closing day a few cat drivers will spend a few days working key areas on the hill. They will doze the summer service road, not quite to ground, but close. Over the next 2-3 weeks, the sun and warm weather will melt the remaining snow off the surface so we can have a nice dry road for operations and maintenance. Where possible, they will clear much of the snow off our summer hiking and biking trails. After spending the spring, managing the snow to make it last as long as possible, the drivers are now trying to clear the snow for summer travel and recreation.

Rapid Transition

The Snowcat Drivers (operators) play such a huge role in our late season conditions. Without them working the snow, keeping it in place and leaving a good surface, the late season would not exist. Now that they are done grooming, the snow will disappear rapidly. A few deep patches in wind favored deposition zones will remain for much of the summer along The Cornice Run and Zuma Cornice. Over the next 2-3 weeks, the transition to summer will happen very quicky.

She's Teasing Us

A nice shower blew through this afternoon and dusted the peaks with snow.

 

Bighorn Sheep

Cruising to work this morning, I saw several bighorn sheep along the road between Keystone and A-Basin. We are lucky to see a lot of our 4-legged friends wandering in and near The Basin. Over the summer, we will see the sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk, moose, fox, coyote and bear. On very rare occasions, someone will spot a mountain lion.

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Thank You For A Great Season

Thanks to all of you for an absolutely wonderful ski and snowboard season. I think just about everyone enjoyed riding the new Lenawee Express Chairlift. We had good consistant snowfall creating lots of fun sliding and riding. I never grow tired of this place. Two things keep me working here year after year. One, the physical mountain setting continues to blow me away each and every day. And two, the people that visit and work here have created an extraordinary mountain culture. Those people keep me smiling.

Again, thank you for a wonderful winter. In the coming months I hope to see all of you hiking, biking, running, practicing yoga, throwing discs, chairlift riding, eating, drinking and enjoying summer at The Basin.

A Fine Colorado Closing Day

Today was everything you would expect from a June Arapahoe Basin, Colorado closing day. About 3 PM I rode Lenawee Express and it was raining/snowing at the top. The mountain goats were milling around the top of Zuma Lift. There were a couple hundred people milling around the Summit taking pictures of the mountain goats. There were a couple hundred people milling around Lake Reveal watching the spectacle. There were a lot of people milling around in the water in Lake Reveal. That looked cold. There were a lot of people skiing and riding and having fun. The day was a very nice finish to the season. Thank you.

June Skiing

This will be a fun weekend. We will celebrate the last ski-able snow of the season, enjoy some classic mountain weather and savor The Basin culture. Again, hope you will join us for the final weekend.

Closing Weekend

Come join us for the final weekend of the 2022-23 season.

 

Summer Is Almost Here

We have just a few days of skiing left and Summer is right around the corner. If you like The Basin in winter you will love it in summer. The Aerial Adventure Park, in the base area, is fun for anyone with an adventureous spirit. The Via Ferrata, high on the East Wall, is a physically challenging hard core climbing experience for those looking for a serious mountain challenge (climbing experience not required). Our new Beavers Loop Mountain Biking Trail offers an approximately 10-mile bottom-top-bottom ride. 80% of the ride is on single track, including all of the descent. There are plenty of other fun things to do including chairlift rides, disc golf, hiking, dining, events and more.

For more details or to book the Aerial Adventure Park or Via Ferrata, go to A-Basin Summer