Arapahoe Basin receives approval for expansion, three new chairlifts

After receiving an initial endorsement from the White River National Forest (WRNF) in August, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (A-Basin) has been given approval from the WRNF for a 338-acre expansion. The new “Beaver Lift” will access “The Beavers” and “Steep Gullies,” lift-accessed backcountry zones popular among A-Basin locals.

Pallavicini—one of Colorado’s renowned steep-skiing lifts—and Molly Hogan will both be replaced, while the Norway double chair will be removed. Because Norway accesses the same terrain as the Lewanee triple, and at a fraction of the speed, keeping the lift running doesn’t make sense from the resort’s point of view.

The expansion will increase A-Basin’s total acreage from 958 to 1,296 and, according to liftblog.com, the chair will be a fixed-grip triple or quad with an hourly capacity of 1,800 skiers and top elevation of 12,462 feet. The Beavers is expected to be finished by the 2018-19 ski season, with the replacement of Molly Hogan and Pallavicini coming after that. While the lifts will access some truly stellar terrain, which will be monitored by A-Basin ski patrol for safety, it remains to be seen how the local backcountry skiing community will react to some of Summit County’s easily accessible out-of-bounds zones being made part of the ski area.