Arapahoe Basin To Become First Ski Area Open In North America With Chairlift Service This Weekend
It's official: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, announced earlier today that they will open for skiing and riding on Sunday, October 29th.
As for terrain options, the resort plans to spin the Black Mountain Express, accessing its standard-fare early season run offering: High Noon. Going forward, A-Basin will be open seven days a week.
Opening day will feature some Halloween twists this year with a "Halloween band" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a costume contest -- winners of the contest will take home "unbeatable A-Basin swag prizes," the resort said in a press release.
On Sunday, the lifts will spin from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. -- setting the operation standards for weekends at A-Basin. The start time is pushed back to 9 a.m. on weekdays.
Lucas Herbert, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
As for additional terrain offerings, A-Basin is hard at work blowing more snow: "The resort has plans to continue snow-making and opening more terrain as quickly as possible, starting next with Lenawee Face and Dercum Gulch."
Finally, in its press release, A-Basin noted that the first day won't be a "beginner experience," with mellower terrain opening as the season progresses. For those unfamiliar, High Noon is a blue square.
Well, people, there you have it. Winter isn't around the corner anymore -- it's here.
As you might've ascertained from the title of this article, A-Basin isn't technically the first resort to open in North America -- that honor goes to Ski Ward, Massachusetts, who, on October 22nd, fired up their magic carpet to offer skiing on a small run of man-made snow.
Don't miss another headline from POWDER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing.
We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging ski-related videos to feature on our channels. Whether you're a professional skier or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on POWDER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality ski videos.
