Arapahoe Basin

Terrain:

Arapahoe Basin, also known as “A-bay” by most locals, is one of my favorite places to ski because of the playful terrain. This is not a resort for beginners and is majority blacks and double blacks. Hence, why A-bay is an advanced skiers playground. On a good snow day, the East Wall hike to terrain is well worth it, if you don’t mind working for your turns. A-bay is one of the places you will be hiking with a lot of other skiers and boarders. Most places, the hike to terrain areas are barren, but here you will never find a lack of people hiking. Thus, if you want fresh tracks on this advanced terrain, you have to hike early. Snorkel Nose and Corner Chute are my favorite runs on the East Wall because they tend to be less tracked out of powder days than the main runs on the East Wall.

Another great area for advanced terrain is all of the runs under and around the Pallavicini Lift (a.k.a. Pali). This lift can be hard to leave and makes for great powder laps with friends. Since it is right by the base, it is perfect for going to the car, grabbing a beer and heading back out on the mountain. Then, the backside of A-bay has more playful advanced terrain. This is the Montezuma Bowl. Back here is my favorite area to lap to do playfuls runs and work on a few tricks.

The rest of the terrain at A-bay is blues and two terrain parks. These blues are steep groomed runs, which can be quite long. This is why A-bay is catered more towards advanced and intermediate skiers. It is not a good resort for beginners. Although, there is a small beginner lift at the base for those who want to learn how to ski or board. For the terrain parks, there are two small fun parks. The upper terrain park usually has more advanced M sized features. The lower terrain park has smaller features and is more of a learning park, which at the end of the season is a great place to learn and try new tricks.

Overall, A-bay is where I head when there has been a big storm. I loved lapping the expert terrain with my friends. It is one of the first resorts I go to in the beginning of the season and one of the last resorts I ride at the end of the season. Again, A-bay is an advanced riders playground, which is why it is one of my favorite resorts to ski with friends.

Base Elevation – 10,780 ft

Peak Elevation – 13,050 ft

Number of Lifts – 9

Number of Trails – 147

Total Terrain – 1,428 acres

Easiest Terrain (Greens) – 4%

More Difficult Terrain (Blues) -24% 

Most Difficult Terrain (Blacks)  – 39%

Expert Terrain (Double Blacks) – 33%

Resort Hours – 9am-4pm Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4pm Saturday-Sunday

Atmosphere and Locals:

Arapahoe Basin has some of the best and most loyal locals. Since A-bay is almost always the first resort open and the last resort to close in Colorado, the locals love that long season. Late spring season will bring out the hawaian shirts and jean short skiing. People are always having a good time. Since A-bay got off of the Epic pass and only let Ikon pass holders have a few days there, there are almost no crowds during mid-season. At the end of the season, since A-bay is the only place left open you will find more of a crowd. During Mid-season, because of where Arapahoe Basin lies in the mountains, it gets more snow than the surrounding resorts. This is why locals love it here, the snow is great, there’s minimals crowds for how great the terrain is and A-bay is truly just a fun place to be. 

Most locals are rad skiers and boarders. I have never been to a resort where a majority of the people there are generally great riders. This is awesome to see and ski with because it’s easy to find someone to do a lap with or just enjoy watching people send different runs and tricks. The employees are also fun to talk to and love a good laugh. In general, I love getting to chat with different people on the lifts and see people enjoy the awesome runs like they should.

Accessibility and Parking:

Arapahoe Basin loves if you carpool! If you pack your car full of your favorite ski buddies, they will let you into their base lot that has ‘beach’ spots. These ‘beach’ spots are mainly for reservations of large parties that want to grill, drink and enjoy being on the mountain together. There are other overfill lots that on very busy days can be full. These lots you do have to walk to the base. This does make it hard to make random trips back to your car if you forgot something. Having a beach spot with a good group of friends during the spring season is one of my favorite things to do!

Getting to Arapahoe Basin on the other hand can sometimes be tricky. Usually when you’re coming from Denver to ski, A-bay is right off of I-70 before the Eisenhower tunnel. This route goes up HWY 6 up to Loveland pass. Loveland pass can be closed often due to weather and avalanches that will cover the road. For someone who may not be familiar with winding mountains roads up passes, be very careful and watch for weather conditions. 

Pricing: $$

Arapahoe Basin is known for having great Bloody Marys and they do. You go there to ski, but end up craving the Bloody’s the minute you get there. The bartenders are great and if you’re fun they may give you an extra shot to enjoy the day.

Lift Tickets – 

Kids(6-14): $51

Teen(15-18): $80

Adult(19-59): $95

Senior(60-69): $95

Associated Season Pass – Ikon Pass

Lessons – 

Adult Beginner Lesson Package: $149 (Half Day)

Private/Family Lesson: $630 (Full Day), $370 (Half Day), $350 (4 Hours), $255 (2 Hours), $125 (1 Hour) +$45 per person

Adult Intermediate Lesson (15+): $149 (Morning Lesson)

Kids Lesson (3-14): $175 (Full Day), $145 (Half Day)

Rentals –

Demo Ski Rental Package: $65

Demo Skis Only: $55

Performance Ski Package: $55

Performance Skis Only:  $45

Sport Ski Package: $45

Skis Only: $35

Demo Snowboard Package: $65

Demo Snowboard Only: $55

Sport Snowboard Package: $45

Snowboard Only: $35

Adult Ski Boots: $30

Adult Snowboard Boots: $20 

Ski Package: $25

​Skis Only: $15

Snowboard Package: $25

Board only: $15

Child Boots: $10

For more information visit https://www.arapahoebasin.com/