Arapahoe Basin: The Legend

Now open for the 2019/20 SEASON!!!!

Related image

What can I say about Arapahoe Basin? Well, I can say a ton. While some of us vacationed in Colorado before and snowboarded Winter Park or Copper Mountain we really learned how to snowboard after having moved here and we did it @ A-Basin. Over 50 days in the 2018/19 season were spent cruising the runs and learning the sport. I maintain if you can learn to ski or snowboard @ Arapahoe Basin you can easily ski or snowboard any other mountain in Colorado with ease. The terrain @ Arapahoe Basin is wide and steep, the blues are comparable to blacks at some of the other resorts, and let me clarify, Arapahoe Basin is no resort. There are no Hotels or places to stay, The Basin is a locals mountain and you can feel that vibe as soon as you get there. Look at it on a map and you can see right off the bat the size, its a lot smaller than most resorts and that is once again...because its not a resort. Your not going to see the huge crowds of out of towners and gapers there because its just not the vacation destination that some of the others are, its a skiers/snowboarders mountain and that's the way we like it.


Snapshot

1,428 Acres
Vertical Rise-2,530ft
 Lowest in-bounds point: 10,520 ft (3,207 m) 
Base: 10,780 ft (3,286 m) 
Summit: 13,050 ft (3,978 m)
AVG Snowfall- 350 Inches
145 Trails,(7% Ski trail rating symbol-green circle.svg easiest, 20% Ski trail rating symbol-blue square.svg intermediate, 49% Ski trail rating symbol-black diamond.svg advanced, 24% Ski trail rating symbol-double black diamond.svg expert)
9 Lifts
1 high-speed detachable quad (Black Mountain Express)
2 fixed grip quad chairs (Zuma Lift, Beavers Lift)
1 triple chair (Lenawee Mountain Lift)
2 double chairs (Pallavicini Lift, Molly Hogan Lift)
2 conveyor lifts (Molly's Magic Carpet, Pika Place)
1 rope tow (Lazy J Tow)
Longest run: 1.5 Miles

The Basin has one true "Bottom", so it makes it easy to find your friends if you get separated. The Basin features several small parks and park features along with the legendary MONTEZUMA BOWL, BEAVERS and THE STEEP GULLIES. 

The Frontside :INCLUDING THE BEAVERS AND STEEP GULLIES
Beavers_trail_map_2018-19

The Backside :MONTEZUMA BOWL
a-basin montezuma bowl map
With parking available at the bottom of the Black Mountain Express Lift, tailgating and parking lot BBQs  are a great way to spend the afternoon.  Head down a run and right into the parking lot for some awesome tailgating, seriously this place is great for it. You can rent a reserved spot on "The Beach" to throw parties or events and in this strip, things can get pretty wild.
On your way to The Basin you can take Loveland Pass and stop off for some great photo opportunities as you explore the infamous route that runs the continental divide. It also has some fantastic places for backcountry use along the route but be advised the area is notorious for avalanches. If you are looking for a great local mountain vibe, short lift lines and and challenging terrain....then you need look no further than The Legend.

How to get there!

Summit Stage Bus from Summit County

Summit County offers a FREE bus service among Keystone, Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne. The Summit Stage Swan Mountain Flyer provides hourly service to and from A-Basin via Breckenridge and Keystone beginning in November; exact 2019-20 winter season dates and hours are TBD. The A-Basin route runs seven days a week. Check the Summit Stage website for dates and schedules. There is no summer service.

"Snowstang" Bus between A-Basin and Denver

Snowstang is a NEW express bus service operated by the Colorado Dept. of Transportation (CDOT). Take a bus directly from downtown Denver (Union Station) or the Federal Center in Lakewood directly to A-Basin and back for $25 round-trip. Buses have bathrooms, WiFi, power outlets, reclining seats and luggage storage. Snowstang will operate Saturdays and Sundays between December 14, 2019 and April 19, 2020 and will include Monday service on MLK and Presidents’ Day. Click here to learn more; service hours and additional details coming soon.

Ride Share?

Uber and Lyft do exist in Summit County, but not in high numbers. On busy or heavy snow days, they often will not make the drive to A-Basin. Trying to rely on ride share the way you would in a big city could result in long wait times or not getting a ride. The more reliable way to get here in the winter season is via the FREE Summit Stage Bus (see above) or by carpooling. In the summer, plan on driving.

Shuttles to Summit County and A-Basin

From the Denver Airport: Colorado Mountain Express offers direct service from Denver International Airport to lodging in Summit County. Call 1-800-334-7433 or Colorado Mountain Express. Other reliable shuttle services to and from Summit County include Summit Express and Peak1 Express.
From towns in Summit and Eagle Counties: Fresh Tracks Transportation provides door-to-door shuttle service to A-Basin from Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Vail, Beaver Creek, Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne. Call 970-453-4052 or visit Fresh Tracks Transportation.
From Colorado Springs: Rocky Mountain Ride provides transportation directly to Arapahoe Basin. Call 719-362-6332 or visit Rocky Mountain Ride. 

Carpool Perks

At A-Basin, we strongly encourage carpooling to reduce traffic and the impact on the environment. During the ski season, park for FREE in one of the first 200 parking spaces in our Early Riser lot (closest to the lift) if you arrive with four or more people in a vehicle. 

PARKING

A-Basin's gated lots open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. You can park for free and walk to the lift! There is no overnight parking or camping permitted in any of the A-Basin parking lots. 

  • Arapahoe Basin has five parking lots at the ski area: Admin, Early Riser, High Noon, Last Chance and Upper Last Chance. The overflow lots southwest of us on Loveland Pass Road are only used during peak times at the discretion of the A-Basin staff.
  • Other than the limited Admin Lot ($30) and first 200 spots in Early Riser ($20), all of our parking is FREE.
  • *Please do not park along the highway. Colorado State Patrol will tow your vehicle.*
  • Reserved handicapped spots can be found in both the Admin Lot and the Early Riser Lot.
  • Free Lots: Part of Early Riser (including part of The Beach), High Noon, Last Chance, Upper Last Chance
  • Paid Parking (winter season, only): The Admin Lot and the first 200 spaces in Early Riser (please see attendant or stop into the Season Pass Office for details)
  • Carpool perks: Park for FREE in one of the first 200 parking spaces in Early Riser lot with four or more people in a vehicle 
  • 15-minute drop-off: These are in the Admin Lot next to the A-Frame
  • Shuttles: They service the upper lots during peak times. Please note they are not always available during the week.
  • Large Commercial Vehicles are not allowed to park at Arapahoe Basin, but they can drop off their passengers.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Aspens @ Kenosha Pass

Image
Kenosha Pass is an easier hike that gives adventurers an opportunity to see spectacular fall colors and experience part of the famed "Colorado Trail" . Lots of people will make the drive out only to hop out and take a few pictures before getting back in the car and heading back but the secret is, to see the best stuff, you have to hike a bit. This trail extends on both sides of 285, you will find bikers, hikers and doggos too. During peak "leaf season", typically late September to early October this trail will be packed with folks trying to get their best photos and experience all those warm colors before it gets cold. Last year we came about a week late. The leaves had already fallen and the aspens were bare but it made for some truly amazing (and a bit creepy) black and white shots, like this one. While driving Guanella Pass to Mt.Bierstadt last weekend we took note of the color change and made plans right then to head to Kenosha Pass the following weekend. Fee
Read more

St. Elmo Ghost Town/Mushroom Gulch.

Image
Ever since we arrived here in Colorado, Say and I have wanted to check out St. Elmo to get some good photos, video and well, check out a GHOST TOWN!!!. So finally, after a year we loaded up the car and headed out into the ether labor day weekend to see what we could see.  The drive to St. Elmo was nice, after you exit the main road you have quite the trek via dirt road to make it to the town. I'd say about 20 minutes or so driving through the national parks and forest to get there. WIKI- St. Elmo  is a ghost town  in Chafee County,Colorado.   Founded in 1880, St. Elmo lies in the heart of the Sawatch Range , southwest of Buena Vista  and sits at an elevation of 9,961 feet. Nearly 2,000  people settled in this town when mining for gold and silver  started. The mining industry started to decline in the early 1920s, and in 1922, the railroad discontinued service.  It is one of Colorado's  best-preserved ghost towns . It was certainly worth the drive for us however
Read more

Mt. Bierstadt : Our First 14'er

Image
Out of all the 14'ers in Colorado we picked Bierstadt because we had heard and read that is was an easier hike to start with when compared to some of the other more difficult and notorious 14'ers. What is a 14'er you ask? Well, a 14'er is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 ft. There are 96 14'ers in the United States all west of the Mississippi with 58 located in Colorado.  As the day approached we spent a good amount of time mentally preparing ourselves and reading up on what we might need to pack , how to prepare and what to expect.   Trial Snapshot: Mt. Bierstadt Hike Distance -1-7 miles round trip Difficulty -Easy-Difficult Duration-1-6 hours Trail Type-Out and Back  Elevation Gain-Up to 2400' Seasons-Best Late Spring to Fall Dogs-Allowed on Leash but discouraged bc of the fragile ecosystem Hike Trail Map - Click for a Trail Map Denver Drive Time-1 hr 30 min Directions- Click for Google Map Nearest Town-Georg
Read more