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It’s still ski season at Arapahoe Basin for at least a couple more weeks, but that hasn’t stopped the Summit County, Colo., ski area from making big off-season moves. Last week, the resort submitted a 120-page master plan to the U.S. Forest Service filled with big ideas that they’d potentially like to implement over the next 10 years.
A-Basin’s Draft Master Development Plan includes big-ticket items such as a new gondola and chairlift, expanded parking, another day lodge, and additional beginner terrain at the resort that’s not really known to cater to new skiers.
As COO Alan Henceroth writes on his blog on the resort’s website, the plan is a draft, and even if it’s accepted, A-Basin won’t necessarily implement every piece of it. Additionally, more approval might still be needed.
“Acceptance of the plan does not grant approval of projects within the plan,” writes Henceroth. “Acceptance simply recognizes that the plan is within the scope [of] our existing Special Use Permit, the White River Forest Plan and other benchmarks associated with operating a mountain resort on Forest Service lands. Subsequent to the plan acceptance, we will begin the project approval process in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act—commonly referred to as NEPA.”
The biggest piece of the master plan centers around improving and expanding A-Basin’s beginner offerings, and considering that the ski area’s advanced and expert terrain totals 73 percent of the slopes, that makes sense. The draft master plan proposes a new gondola from the base to the Sawmill Flats area, where the Lenawee chair begins. This would have the dual benefit of offering more beginner terrain while thinning out crowds at the Black Mountain Express, the main lift out of the base area.
There’s also talk of adding a short chairlift that would go from the Lenawee area up to the top of the Wrangler run, just under the Black Mountain Lodge. This underused portion of the slopes presents a good place to get beginners up and away from the base area, and let them enjoy the scenery on appropriate terrain while also easing base congestion.
Another big upgrade focuses on the parking situation, which can get difficult due to the resort’s location right off U.S. 6. Historically, overflow has spilled out onto U.S. 6, making for a potentially dangerous situation as cars line the mountain pass. The master plan proposes the addition of several smaller lots as well as a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 6, so crossing would be safer and easier. The new parking would be located by the existing Upper Last Chance lot, and a pulse gondola is proposed to ferry skiers to the base. The expansion would bump parking spots from the current 1,674 to 2,069.
Additionally, a new skier-services building is proposed for the base area, which could house a ski shop, rentals, and a new dining facility. Other bullet points in the proposal include expanding snowmaking to Montezuma Bowl, The Beavers terrain, and more frontside trails; investing in a remote avalanche mitigation system to replace the current Avalauncher technology; and improving some resort infrastructure including service roads, sewer systems, and internet access.
We know that A-Basin skiers don’t like change, but at the end of the day, these are meaningful upgrades that would enhance the skier experience at the resort, and give newer skiers a reason to check it out. If you want to weigh in on the proposal, there will be an open house and Q&A session at the A-Frame base lodge on May 31 from 4-6 p.m.
