Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
Travel Guide to Arapahoe Basin, CO
The ski area of Arapahoe Basin is the highest location for skiing and riding in the county and has some of the most extreme terrain. It is a favorite for locals and many of the runs are above tree line. Annually A-Basin competes with its neighbor Loveland across the Continental Divide and Loveland Pass to be the first ski area to open in the state. For the past couple of years A-Basin has been aided in the race by its snowmaking capabilities with water from the Snake River to open a couple of runs in October. Snowmakers eagerly await for the night time temperatures to drop below freezing and the day time highs to be low enough that they will not melt all the snow way. Then they fire up the snow guns. In spring the area between the main parking lot and the bottom of the slopes becomes known as the Beach. Locals rent spots that face the strong Colorado sun and set up barbecue grills for a picnic at the Beach, taking runs in between burgers, brats and beers. There is no lodging at Arapahoe Basin so out of town guests stay either in Keystone, or down valley in Dillon or Silverthorne.