It’s what we’ve all been waiting for: Arapahoe Basin has expanded its terrain once again. The last major expansion Arapahoe Basin had was during the 2007-2008 season, when it opened the Montezuma Bowls. At that time, it was largest terrain expansion in the nation, increasing the terrain of Arapahoe Basin by 80%. Now, after 2 years of planning and development, it is time for more growth to the west of the current ski area boundaries. The expansion adds 468 acres of skiable terrain for the 2018-2019 ski season, bringing the total number of acres for Arapahoe Basin to over 1,000.
The Beavers
The expansion brings about two new areas, the first of which is the Beavers. The Beavers will have terrain from intermediate groomers to the most difficult and extreme tree skiing. There is open bowl skiing at the top and glades to the west and lower 2/3 of the terrain. There will also be two new groomed blue runs for the 2018-2019 season named Loafer and Davis. With the opening of the Beavers, it will bring fantastic gladed skiing/snowboarding to Summit County and, of course, Arapahoe Basin. The Beavers will offer the most vertical feet for the ski area.
Steep Gullies
The second area that will open for the 2018-2019 season is the Steep Gullies. It will be the most challenging skiing at Arapahoe Basin. All of the runs will be extreme double black diamond runs. The runs will be steep and narrow chutes, with varying pitch and width. All of these runs will be hike back trails, meaning that guests will have to hike or skin back to ski base. The hike back trail will go from the Beavers and the Steep Gullies terrain to the bottom the Pallavicini lift, with the hike time being between 20 to 30 minutes, you may also skin back as well.
A New Quad Chairlift
The new terrain will now be serviced by the Beavers lift, which will be a quad fixed-grip chair. The installation of this Leitner-Poma fixed-grip quad chair will be the Basin’s sixth chairlift. The new additional terrain will be a total of 468 total acres to Arapahoe Basin. The Beavers is 339 acres and the Steep Gullies is 129 acres.
The expansion has garnered backlash from some who feel that opening up the area, especially with lift service, will ruin the intimacy of the mountain and compromise their 30-year powder stashes. Others welcome it with open arms. This terrain expansion, especially with the Gullies, puts Arapahoe Basin in competition with Telluride or Crested Butte for extreme terrain.
Once the lifts start turning at A-Basin, it will be up to you to be the judge of the expansion. However, we’re pretty sure you are going to love it. Whether you are coming up to Summit County for vacation and use our shared shuttle service, or maybe just making a day trip up from Denver using a private service, Peak 1 Express has you covered. Book your shuttle online or call 855-GO-PEAK1.