The 2014-2015 ski season is getting its kick off this weekend with the opening of Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin.
Crews have been working to get the 18-inch snow base for the Arapahoe Basin open since the beginning of October, with a little help from Mother Nature, who covered the basin with about a foot of natural snow so far this month.
Arapahoe Basin’s Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth told local news that “Conditions have been outstanding for snowmaking and we are very excited to open this Friday.”
The Arapahoe Basin, which is often called the A-basin, is known for its extremely long ski and snowboarding season, usually opening up in mid to late October and sometimes remaining open well into the late spring and early summer months, making the Arapahoe Basin one the premiere destinations for winter enthusiasts. The Arapahoe Basin also holds bragging rights to one of the earliest openings for the season, when they opened their doors on October 9 back in 2009.
The Arapahoe Basin is just 69 miles west of Denver in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, and at an elevation of over 13,000 feet on its eastern wall, the Arapahoe Basin is home of one of the highest terrains for in-bounds skiing available in North America. The Arapahoe Basin borders the Continental Divide, and offers one of the most amazing views of this geological feature. The Arapahoe Basin also features what their website calls “one of its signature runs, Pallavicini,” which “is one of Colorado’s longest and steepest trails.”
The Arapahoe Basin began as a ski destination back in the 1940s, when Max and Edna Dercum opened the Skip Tip Lodge. Since then, the Arapahoe Basin has developed a well-established children’s program, lessons for beginners, and offers a range of trails for beginners and expert snowboarders and skiers alike. With a number of lodges in the area, over 100 trails and 7 different lifts, the Arapahoe Basin is ready to start the ski season, as it officially opens its doors this Friday. Snowboarders and ski enthusiasts alike will be able to take to Arapahoe Basin’s slopes beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday morning.
For the early season, which lasts until December 19, full day ticket prices for the Arapahoe Basin for adults will be $69, for youths ages 15-18 the price is $57, and for for children 6-14 tickets are $34 (from November 30 through December 19 kids 14 and under have free access to the slopes at Arapahoe Basin).
