A Happy Ski Owner

Another Cool Find

Logging Questions

I had some good questions about environmental impacts. When we decide to do a project, there are impacts. We search for ways to minimize those impacts while still meeting our major objective of creating an incredible place for people to ski. 

We could have proposed 10 major trails. Instead we proposed a couple of modest trails and some good glade skiing. We are removing trees, but we are removing far fewer trees than if we had done a conventional ski trail design.

We could have put many machines on the ground (and tearing up the ground) for several months removing the logs. Instead we had loggers go in on foot and drop the trees and we are using a helicopter for about three weeks to remove the logs. Yes, the helicopter uses fuel, but way less fuel than covering the ground with machines.

We could have left the logs on the ground, but that would have been very messy and the skiing would not be so good.

So.....we are going to create opportunities for great experiences. Yes there are impacts, but we are making them as small as we reasonably can.

Chipping in Progress

Found Ski In Beaver Bowl

This afternoon I found a ski at the very bottom of Beaver Bowl. It is a 163 cm Volkl Aura with Dynafit bindings. It has a little rust on the edges, but appears to be in pretty good shape. It doesn't look like it has been out there too long. Let me know if it is yours.

Norway / Powerline Snowmaking

Earlier this summer, our snowmaking team installed a new 600' snowmaking pipeline.  The pipeline has two shelters and a total of four new hydrants. Alongside the pipeline, they installed an electrical line to spin the fan guns. Two of the hydrants are on Lower Powerline and the other two hydrants are on Norway. We have made snow in these areas in the past, but it has involved dragging hundreds of feet of hoses and power cords to run one fan gun. Now we can run four fan guns over there, making more snow in a shorter period of time and, generally, being much more effective and much more efficient with our time and resources.

The pipeline itself was laid right in our Summer Service Road so we did not have to tear up any virgin ground.

Where Do The Trees Go?

As you can see, the trees are starting to pile up in the Early Riser Lot. Our contractors will process the wood products. Some of the trees have merchantable value as saw logs. Those logs will leave the ski area heading for a sawmill in Western Colorado. The material that has no merchantable value as saw logs will be chipped and shipped, probably, to Gypsum to be used in the new Biomass Power Plant to generate electricity.

Heli Logging

The heli-logging has begun. The loggers have been working on Loafer, Davis, the Hike Back and the Lift Line. We are trying to have as small of an impact on the ground as we can. Accessing these areas with vehicles is extremely difficult and, since we did not build any roads, can really tear the ground up. So to minimize those impacts, the loggers put the trees on the ground, the helicopter is picking them up and flying them to the base area. It is an expensive, but very effective process with the smallest impacts. Once the logs are removed, we will flush cut the stumps and, either scatter the slash or pile and burn it. As needed, spots will be re-seeded with native vegetation.

It is an exciting show to watch and will be going on for a while. Sitting on the 6th Alley deck and checking it out could be a good weekend activity.

Beaver Bowl

Beaver Bowl is an exciting chunk of terrain in our "NEW" Beavers area. I say new because it has been considered part of the ski area in the past. Below is a trail map from 1958. Unfortunately, the resolution is not great. If you look at the far right side of the map you can see #13. The key identifies #13 as Beaver Pond Run.  I have other maps, one dating to the 1940's that also identify Beaver Pond Run. If you ski the line outlined as #13, you eventual end up in the beavers ponds in the valley bottom. 

In the early days of Arapahoe Basin, the concept of exact ski area boundaries was different than it is today, but the Beaver Pond Run has been an integral part of The Basin since the beginning, 70 years ago. Over time, the name has been shortened to simply The Beavers.