Cool Riding

Found between the top of Jamie's Face and Lake Reveal, I call this very, very cool riding.

 

New Places On Wheels Up

Our summer trails give us a physical perspective that is very different from what we see in winter. Whether we are hiking or biking, it often feels like we are in a very different place in summer versus winter. No where is that more notable than riding the forested areas of the Wheels Up trail. In particular, where the trail is west of the Pallavicini Lift, the trail switchbacks through The Glen and it feels completely different than skiing in winter. And you won't find the name The Glen on any trail map.

 

Trail Construction Update

Trevor and the Trail Crew continue to work on extending Up At Arapahoe to the Summit. The trail is now complete all the way to Lake Reveal. For the moment they are skipping the zone just above and below the Steilhang Hut. The road is a bit more mellow there. They are carving the trail into Norway Face. This stretch might have people most excited because it will eliminate that nasty, steep final pitch of the summer road. Nobody likes that stretch of road and the new stuff is going to be SWEET.

Black Mountain Lodge Yoga

Tuesdays and Thursdays we host Mountaintop Yoga on the deck of Black Mountain Lodge. You get the bonus of enjoying a chairlift ride on Black Mountain Experess. I am not sure there is a better place to enjoy your Cobra pose. Some people hike down the Argentine North Fork Trail when they are finished. For details and to make a reservation, go to Mountaintop Yoga

Trail System Details

When we designed our trail system, we made a key decision. We could have made every trail for everyone. Instead, we decided to make trails that were really focused on what the user was looking for. There are times when hikers and bikers can share trails and there are other times where it is nice to be separated. Instead of each trail being "OK" for every user, we want each trail to be exceptional for its intended user. That led us to three distinctive trail designations.

Two-Way Hiking and Uphill Biking Only. The Argentine North Fork and Up At Arapahoe trails form the main route to the Summit. Uphill bikers generally move kind of slower and on these trails hikers and bikers mesh well.

Downhill Biking Only. The Beavers Loop and Wheels Up Trails are for downhill biking only. On a good downhill trail, neither bikers or hikers want to encounter the other. These trails are designed for good fun downhill riding.

Hiking Only. The Halfmoon Trail is for hiking only. Portions of the trail are not suited for bikes and this is a good place for hikers to not have to worry about encountering bike riders.

Burger Night and Sunday Brunch

This summer the 6th Alley Bar and Grill will be hosting two regular weekly events. Thursday nights are Burger Night and the restaurant will stay open until 8 PM. They will open at 10 AM  Sunday mornings for Sunday Brunch. Have some fun and enjoy the good food. For details, go to 6th Alley Bar and Grill.

 

Pass Renewal Extension

OK, sorry if I was mis-leading, but we did extend the pass renewal period for one more week. With all the weirdness and confusion of the past year, we thought we would give people one more week to renew their season pass for the 2024-25 ski season. But, this is it. The last day to renew your winter season pass at the discounted rate is Friday, July 19.

I Love The Beavers Loop

I love the Beavers Loop Trail. This past Wednesday, I had a chance to ride the bottom to top to bottom loop. We are lucky to have this high quality of a purpose built mountain bike trail in such a high alpine setting. I was having so much fun riding, but I felt guilty that I needed to be stopping more to take in all the views.

Season Pass Renewal - Last Day

Don't forget, today is the last day to renew your 2024-25 Winter Season Pass at the discounted rate of $559. We will continue to sell season passes, but the renewal rate goes away and the price will be $659.

Steilhang Hut Open Weekends

Similar to last summer, the Steilhang Hut will be open Saturdays and Sundays thru August 18. After a nice hike or bike, enjoy a bratwurst at 12,000' surrounded by stunning Arapahoe Basin views. Eventually, as our trail system is further built out and more people enjoy the A-Basin summers, I hope we can have Steilhang Hut open even more.

Pali Main Street

Pali Main Street is pretty cool in the summer time also.

A+ Flower Season

We are on our way to an amazing wild flower season. We had a good snow season and a wet June. The Basin has greened up beautifully and the flowers are really popping. July is the time to get out on the hill and enjoy the show. All of our trails are open and it is a wonderful sight to see.

Hazel Never Disappoints

Hazel never disappoints. A lot of old friends and new friends got together today and enjoyed The Hazel Miller Band in Mountain Goat Plaza. As always, she put on an incredible show. It was beautiful. People were hiking, biking, disc golfing, chairlift riding, climbing, eating and playing. It was a classic Colorado Summer day in the mountains. Good music, good people and good fun.

Happy 4th - Hazel Miller - Everything Is Open

Happy 4th of July. This morning CNN said "The West is sizzling....." Today at The Basin skies are blue and the temperature is a warm 58 F. A perfect day in the mountains.

Don't forget tomorrow, Friday, July 5, Hazel Miller is bringing her brand of jazz, blues and R&B to Mountain Goat Plaza from 1-4 PM. She always puts on a perfect show. We will be serving up Jambalaya, brats, beer and wine in the base area. Is there a better way to bring the A-Basin community together?

All of our summer activities are now open. All of the trails, including bike trails, are now open. The Disc Golf Course is open. Aerial Adventure Park, Via Ferrata, Scenic Chairlift Rides, Arapahoe Sports and 6th Alley Bar and Grill are all open. Our regular events like Guided Wildflower Hikes, Yoga on the Mountain and Trail Running Races start next week. For details, check out Summer At Arapahoe Basin

All Trails Open - Friday

This Friday, July 5, all of our hiking and biking trails will be open. That includes Half Moon, Up at Arapahoe, Wheels Up and the Beavers Loop  as well as the Argentine North Fork Trail. As a reminder, Argentine North Fork and Up at Arapahoe are open to two-way hiking and uphill biking. Half Moon is open just to hiking. Wheels Up and Beavers Loop are for downhill biking only.

Arapahoe Basin and Summit County's premier mountain biking loop involves heading up Argentine North Fork and Up at Arapahoe to the Summit (the last 3/4 mile is on the summer road still while we finish building that section) and then descending Beavers Loop and Wheels Up. This new loop is already a classic. Purpose built mountain biking trails in the high alpine terrain are rare. The views are over the top. Not to mention the trails are pure fun.

This Friday, when the city is hot and the mountain towns are busy, come on up, ride the Beavers Loop and then enjoy a Hazel Miller concert in the base area. It is a perfect way to spend a holiday weekend.

 

Parking Pass Reminder

Just a reminder, a limited number of season parking passes go on sale July 9 at 10 AM. You must be an UNRESTRICTED SEASON PASS HOLDER by July 8 to purchase a season parking pass.

 

Mountain Goat Kids

The mountain goats continued to be out and about near the Summit. More and more kids are visible - and so incredibly cute. Andrew Greene send me these wonderful photos he took earlier today.

 

Half Moon Trail Open For Hiking

Half Moon Trail is now open for hiking. This trail is actually a hiking only trail. Starting at Black Mountain Lodge, it winds through meadows and forests topping out right a treeline with commanding views of the East Wall. There are still some muddy spots along the way, but it is ready for hikers.

Opening Day At The Park

Today is opening day at Aerial Adventure Park. Pre-maintenance is complete. Park Ranger training is complete. The snow is gone and the Park is dry. It is time to get up there and start climbing. I think is a great activity for anyone with a moderate fitness level and a sense of adventure. It is beautiful and it is fun. Great for a any group of family and friends.

ANF Open For Hiking

The Argentine North Fork and Wheels Up trails are clear of snow. Both are still quite wet in places.

The Argentine North trail is open for hiking to Black Mountain Lodge. Wheels Up is still closed while we wait for the trail to dry out more. There is still no on-hill mountain biking, but I expect that to change very soon. While it is hard to pin point a date, I think Wheels Up, Half Moon and Up at Arapahoe will be open within a week or two.

Via Ferrata Guide Training

It has been a big couple weeks for the Via Ferrata crew. They have been through their annual inspections with the Forest Service, State of Colorado and third party engineers and inspectors. The snow only very recently melted off the course so it was time to give the gear a very close look. and review. It has also been a big time for training, both for returning and new guides.

Opening day for summer operations and the Via Ferrata is Friday. The Via Ferrata brings an entirely new perspective to checking out The Basin and the East Wall.

 

3 Critical A-Basin Messages

Since the February announcement that A-Basin was being to sold to Alterra, we have been in a holding pattern while the sale closes. The closing is still likely a few months away. That holding pattern and the lack of new information to share with our guests has caused a lot of uncertainty. There are still many questions that remain unanswered, but today we have three new important messages to share that will bring some clarity to your A-Basin thinking.

Ikon Pass Access - There will be no change to Ikon Pass access at Arapahoe Basin for the 2024-25 season.

Season Pass Renewal - Friday, July 12 will be the last day to renew season passes at the adult pass rate of $559. We will continue to sell season passes, but the adult rate goes up to $659 after July 12.

Season Parking Passes -  For unrestricted A-Basin season pass holders, Season Parking Passes will go on sale Tuesday, July 9 at 10 AM. For details go to Parking Reservations.

The rumor mill has proven to be a very inaccurate source of information about A-Basin. For the most up to date and accurate information, please check out our website Arapahoe Basin

Argentine North Fork Trail

Yesterday I walked up the Argentine North Fork Trail to Black Mountain Lodge. We had a couple of good nights of rain and there is still a bit of snow on the trail. It is still too wet and snowy to open, but our crew is working to remove snow from the trail where they can. The forecast for the coming week shows a lot of sunshine. While I am hesitant to predict a day for the trail opening, with the weather forecast, I think it will be open fairly soon.

The Snow.......Going, Going......

We had a very successful closing day. Skiers and riders had loads of fun. There was a good turnout. Lake Reveal delivered. It was good. I am not sure we could have squeaked another day out of the snow. Our Snow Cat team did an amazing job holding the snow together, but by Monday Mother Nature was taking charge. Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest, sunniest day of the year and the snow is melting fast. We are prepping for summer operations.

 

Great Season - Thank you

That is a wrap. The 2023-24 season is in the record books. Despite a slow start, we had an excellent ski season. From the January storm cycles to a near perfect East Wall hiking season to many Spring storms, this season was very special for me. This incredible mountain and its staff and guests have come together to create a culture that is hard to find elsewhere. Thanks to all of you for creating another phenomenal season at The Basin.

Now it is time ride the bikes, float some rivers and climb the Via Ferrata. I hope we will continue to see you through the summer. Those of us working here have a lot to do in the coming months. Stay dialed into A-Basin for announcements regarding summer activities and events, season pass updates, parking pass updates and, of course, the sale to Alterra.

This has been joyful season. We'll do it again in four months. Thank you.

Alan

Mountain Goats Are Thick

I went out for a few laps first thing this morning. The snow was soft and the place was gorgeous. The mountain goats were thick. There were so many goats, it was hard to count them, but I spotted at least 25 different animals. There was a teeny, tiny, cute kid. We will see more of the little ones in the next few weeks.

See you tomorrow, closing day.

Two More Days Of Summer Skiing Fun

 

Last Ski Weekend - Almost Summer

Can't wait to open the chairlifts Friday morning for the the final 3-day weekend of skiing.

Summer is almost here. Summer operations begin Friday, June 28. We have been doing an awesome pre-season sale for the Aerial Adventure Park and the Via Ferrata. We are even doing a "Summer Pass" combing these and other activities. The Summer Pass has an almost $900 value  and is on sale for $199. The pre-season prices are only available through Sunday, June 16.

If you like A-Basin in the winter, chances are you will love it in the Summer. Be sure and check out the summer portion of our website A-Basin Summer. Please take a close look at the Summer pre-season sale items.

One More Weekend

We are open for one more weekend, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 - 2:00. This morning Rob gave me a snowmobile ride to the Summit. I took my time skiing down. To no one's surprise, our snowcat team  has done an A+ job holding the snow together to be open in mid-June. The trails are a little narrow, but the snow is plenty deep. The weekend will be a hoot. Skiing this time of year attracts its own special breed of skiers and riders. The experience is as much about people enjoying the mountains as it is about sliding on snow.

Shauna Farnell at Ski Magazine just wrote a sweet article on summertime skiing at The Basin. Check it out at A-Basin Summer Skiing

See You On Friday

We have had a very nice weekend. People enjoyed sliding across Lake Reveal, skiing the slushy snow, being entertained by the mountain goats and, generally, soaking up the mountain beauty. We will be closed Monday thru Thursday and then we will re-open for our final weekend of skiing Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 14-16. See you then.

Lake Reveal

The "Lake Reveal Games" have begun.

We Are Open

We have re-opened for skiing and riding. We will be open today, Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM. Ditto for next weekend June 14-16.

On Wednesday, there was a significant power outage in our region. While power returned in the afternoon, the outage caused some significant damage to our phones and IT system. By Thursday night we were able to get all of our systems back online. I know some of your frustrated trying to reach us or buy lift tickets during that period. Sorry for the confusion and inconvenience.

The good news is that we are up and running and OPEN !!!

The Bighorns

Caught a glimpse of the bighorns driving to work this morning. I look forward to skiing again this Friday, Saturday and Sunday - and the next week.