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.
About Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
History:
In 1945 the Winter Sports Committee of Denver commissioned the finding of a location in the Front Range of Colorado for a ski area and they chose the area just over Loveland Pass. Local resident, Max Dercum, who had moved to the area from Pennsylvania, where he had been a professor of forestry, assisted with the planning of the ski area which opened in 1946. The Dercums owned the Ski Tip Lodge, the lodge for the ski area. The mountain was purchased by Ralston Purina in 1978 and then sold to Vail Resorts. However in 1997 the Justice Department ruled that the ownership of Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, and Keystone in Summit County by Vail Resorts constituted a monopoly and they were forced to sell the ski area. However the close ties left reciprocal benefits for a holder of a Vail Resorts lift ticket to be able to ski at Arapahoe Basin as well.
The Mountain: Arapahoe Basin
A-Basin Ski Area:
Arapahoe Basin was the first ski area built in Summit County and is the ski area that opens first and closes last in the ski season, based on its high elevation at the beginning of Loveland Pass which crosses the Continental Divide. It is about a 20 minute bus ride from Keystone Resort or an hour from Breckenridge on the Summit Stage’s free Swan Mountain Flyer or on the ski shuttle from Breckenridge, Frisco or Keystone. A-Basin offers over a hundred expertly carved trails, above timberline bowls and deep powder stashes. Whether you are interested in groomed cruiser runs or maybe chutes and glades are more your style, the Basin has it. The recently opened Montezuma Bowl on the south side of the mountain added 80% more terrain to the mountain. Tickets purchased at Breckenridge or Keystone are also good at Arapahoe Basin. Tickets purchased at Arapahoe Basin are not valid for Vail Resorts ski areas or for night skiing at Keystone.
