Storming the Beach @ Normandy: Arapahoe Basin 2019 Opening Day
Never before have I seen so many bodies crammed into such a small space competing for lines in my life. Opening day of the 2019 season....we were there....
This year started off with a BANG! A literal jab from one Mountain to another. With Keystone expected to open on Saturday 10/12, Arapahoe Basin not to be outdone, blasted out an E-mail around 2pm on Friday 10/11/ It was time. Arapahoe Basin was officially open for the season offering discounted lift tickets and cheap beer, get yo A$$ to the mountain specials. While we didn't make it on Friday we did make it Saturday morning for the official "first full day" of the season. I mean lets be real, hardly anyone was able to make it out there to hit the slopes with such little notification on Friday, we all know why The Basin did this, and I for one loved it .It wasn't necessarily to actually have people out, this was more about bragging rights and not wanting to be outdone by their now rival Keystone after having split with the EPIC/VAIL. But I'm not even going to get into the politics of that right now.
The drive out to the mountain was a breeze, even with the E-mail I'm not sure anyone was really planning on skiing or snowboarding this early in the season. Even though Arapahoe Basin was "Open" it was really only sort of open with 1/145 runs open. This meant that everyone that was there was competing for the same space on the same narrow icy run and it was insane. Bodies everywhere and it was most certainly not amateur hour. My board is in dire need of a tune, dull edges and in need of wax and it didn't matter one bit because I was exactly where I wanted to be doing what I had waited so long to do.With the Blitzkreig style opening tactic the lines that wrapped around 6th Alley Bar last year for the MUG CLUB didn't exist this year. While there was a line I can tell you we didn't wait in it and we still got out mugs! When the dust had settled and everyone in line had gone, there were still over 100 mugs left so after a full day of drinking and snowboarding we were able to walk in and get a mug with ease. PUT IT ON MY TAB GOOD SIR! Even with the run being a bit crowded I can say that it was great to be back in snowboard boots and we had an amazing time! It was so good to be back at "home base", we have a special place in our hearts for A-Basin and I'm sure I'll spend just as much time out there this year as I did last if not more. The snow was icy, the run was packed and you couldn't have crushed the vibe of the mountain if you wanted to. Everyone grinning ear to ear having waited all summer long to get back to doing what they all love so much and it was a fantastic experience to see and be a part of. I'm glad we were fortunate enough to have been able to be there.
It took me a while to get around to writing and posting about this (Its 10/21 while I type this) because since opening day, I've been out there 4 times to shred my cares away. This morning it looks like they finally were able to open RAMROD (so now 2/145 runs, they opened with three last year). The snow makers should be moving the machines further up the mountain now in order to get more artificial snow up towards the top. With more snow predicted this week and 4 fresh inches in the last 24 hours Ski season in Colorado is now in full swing!
This year started off with a BANG! A literal jab from one Mountain to another. With Keystone expected to open on Saturday 10/12, Arapahoe Basin not to be outdone, blasted out an E-mail around 2pm on Friday 10/11/ It was time. Arapahoe Basin was officially open for the season offering discounted lift tickets and cheap beer, get yo A$$ to the mountain specials. While we didn't make it on Friday we did make it Saturday morning for the official "first full day" of the season. I mean lets be real, hardly anyone was able to make it out there to hit the slopes with such little notification on Friday, we all know why The Basin did this, and I for one loved it .It wasn't necessarily to actually have people out, this was more about bragging rights and not wanting to be outdone by their now rival Keystone after having split with the EPIC/VAIL. But I'm not even going to get into the politics of that right now.The drive out to the mountain was a breeze, even with the E-mail I'm not sure anyone was really planning on skiing or snowboarding this early in the season. Even though Arapahoe Basin was "Open" it was really only sort of open with 1/145 runs open. This meant that everyone that was there was competing for the same space on the same narrow icy run and it was insane. Bodies everywhere and it was most certainly not amateur hour. My board is in dire need of a tune, dull edges and in need of wax and it didn't matter one bit because I was exactly where I wanted to be doing what I had waited so long to do.With the Blitzkreig style opening tactic the lines that wrapped around 6th Alley Bar last year for the MUG CLUB didn't exist this year. While there was a line I can tell you we didn't wait in it and we still got out mugs! When the dust had settled and everyone in line had gone, there were still over 100 mugs left so after a full day of drinking and snowboarding we were able to walk in and get a mug with ease. PUT IT ON MY TAB GOOD SIR! Even with the run being a bit crowded I can say that it was great to be back in snowboard boots and we had an amazing time! It was so good to be back at "home base", we have a special place in our hearts for A-Basin and I'm sure I'll spend just as much time out there this year as I did last if not more. The snow was icy, the run was packed and you couldn't have crushed the vibe of the mountain if you wanted to. Everyone grinning ear to ear having waited all summer long to get back to doing what they all love so much and it was a fantastic experience to see and be a part of. I'm glad we were fortunate enough to have been able to be there.It took me a while to get around to writing and posting about this (Its 10/21 while I type this) because since opening day, I've been out there 4 times to shred my cares away. This morning it looks like they finally were able to open RAMROD (so now 2/145 runs, they opened with three last year). The snow makers should be moving the machines further up the mountain now in order to get more artificial snow up towards the top. With more snow predicted this week and 4 fresh inches in the last 24 hours Ski season in Colorado is now in full swing!
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