WORDS • JACK FOERSTERLING
For non-locals, the idea of skiing in Colorado may conjure scenes of mega-resorts like Vail and Breckenridge, overridden with mobs of tourists. But if you ask any longtime local, they’ll tell you some of the best skiing in the western United States can be found only 70 miles west of Denver at a place called Arapahoe Basin.
Known to locals as “The Legend,” Arapahoe Basin first opened its slopes in 1946 with a $1.25 lift ticket. Now, over 70 years later, A-Basin is still one of the cheapest places to ski in the Rocky Mountains. But this ain’t your grandmother’s ski resort—with a staggering summit elevation topping out at just over 13,000 feet and expert terrain covering 73 percent of its 1,400 acres, Arapahoe Basin offers up some of the biggest lines and technical skiing for inbounds skiers in Colorado.
Situated along the Continental Divide, less than an hour-and-a-half from ski-area titan Vail Resorts’ headquarters, A-Basin has spent the last two decades working with Vail as a member of its signature Epic Pass, making it a go-to destination for Front Rangers looking to ski early and late season, who can’t stand the long lift lines at other, bigger resorts or who just want to get out of Colorado’s infamous I-70 gridlocked traffic as quickly as possible. The proximity to butt-puckering lines is a draw, too.
While corporate buyouts, consolidation and mega-resort conglomerates snatching up smaller ski areas has become the norm for the North American ski scene in recent years, Arapahoe Basin made headlines last February—they would be breaking ties with Vail and leaving the Epic Pass for the upcoming ski season. “We’ve been incredibly successful the last few years in our partnership with Vail,” says Arapahoe Basin Chief Operating Officer, Alan Henceroth. “But we reached the point where we just had too many people coming here.”
The initial announcement was greeted with great applause from many Colorado skiers, overjoyed that The Legend would finally be returning to its roots as an independent, local’s mountain. However, in August—six months after they had cut ties with Vail—A-Basin announced a new partnership with Vail’s largest rival, Alterra Mountain Company, and its Ikon Pass.
While the news elicited groans from those hoping A-Basin would stay independent, Director of Lifts and Slopes Maintenance, Louis Skowyra, explains why this change will satisfy those skiers hoping for a return to A-Basin’s roots. “We don’t want to be someone else’s overflow ski area,” he says, referencing the unrestricted access Epic Pass users had to the mountain versus the five or seven days available to those on the Ikon next season. “We want to provide an authentic skier experience,” he says. “It’s not about buying a new purse or a fur scarf in the base area, it’s about the skiing.”
For those familiar with the mountain, Skowyra’s words could not ring more true. Despite massive improvements across the mountain over the last decade, including tripling the skiable acreage, installing a high-speed lift and improving dining areas, the soul of A-Basin has never changed. It’s a true skier’s mountain, where the only thing that matters is pointing your skis down the fall-line and letting ‘em rip, and it’s that unspoken understanding flowing across the slopes that keeps those in the know coming back season after season.
Henceroth is confident the switch to Ikon is a great fit for The Legend. “When you look at the Ikon resorts like Alta, Jackson, Squaw and Revelstoke, they’re a lot of brands in line with what we believe here,” he says. Now included alongside a new list of iconic ski destinations, Arapahoe Basin is hoping to re-establish its place amongst the upper echelon of mountains coveted by diehard, passionate skiers.
“Nothing is quite like A-Basin,” says Henceroth. “This mountain is like a fine wine. Not everyone who drinks it gets how good it is, but for those who love it, there’s nothing better.”
