2018.02.14 Arapahoe Basin CO
A-Basin is one of the coolest little mountains I’ve ever skied. It’s a small area at the top of a great range. Right along the spine of the continental divide with peaks over 13k ft, it is one of the highest in absolute elevation. The base parking lot is about 10,800 - higher than most lift-served peaks in Utah.
The route along the Loveland pass is one of most scenic drives in our explorations thus far.
A-Basin is not a mega-resort. It is closer to classic Colorado skiing. Lifts are fixed-grip, with one high-speed quad to mid-mountain. The vertical rise is not much (true-up = 1698 ft). the high point is at the top of Lenawee around 12,500 ft. There is a higher in-bounds peak at 13,050 ft, but the additional 500 vertical feet is a steep up-hill hike. Aint no body got time for that! besides, those chutes are too steep and to narrow anyhow. Best move is to traverse the line below the cliffs and look up-hill. If you look up at North Pole or Willy’s Wide and still think it’s a good idea, go for it.
A chair lift above 12,500 ft is not uncommon along the divide thru Summit country. What makes A-Basin “small” is the high base (parking lot) elevation at nearly 11,000 ft (10,800 I think). Wolf Creek is equally sized vertically as A-Basin, and Wolf gets the most snow in the state. But Wolf is also vertically challenged, if that size matters.
One benefit of a shorter top-to-bottom is that lift rides don’t feel long. If you just straight-line the blue way, then yea, it’s a pretty quick trip top-to-bottom. If your goal is to pound vertical feet, near-by Keystone is better for that, with more vertical under a single lift than Basin covers in two.
But A-Basin is not about pounding vertical. It’s a high-alpine winter wonderland experience.
A-Basin is not lacking superlatives though, they typically claim longest season, with an iconic opening day in October, and July-4 skiing not uncommon. It’s also one of the shortest drives from Denver, that doesn’t even go thru the tunnel. They recently took the prize for highest-elevation restaurant (at least in USA), taking that honor from Telluride. But that place wasn’t there when we visited A-Basin last in 2018. There’s not fancy on-mountain dining, but the food is quite good. Whole-plant options may be limited to salad. Bring-your-own-bag is welcome. Find tables in the A-frame lodge. Free water and space for bags. May get congested when the locals come out (powder days).
Parking is simple. Get there early and it’s one big lot at the base of the lifts. The drive along Loveland pass by itself is worth the effort , more on that later.
Majestic views, challenging expert terrain, plenty of snow, adventurous back bowls, the f-in East Wall and Pali, A Basin is the biggest little mountain I’ve skien.
