Arapahoe Basin Ski Area has released a draft master plan for future upgrades to the ski area, including additional parking, two new gondolas, a new lift, and a new learning area and expanded snowmaking and avalanche technology.
The 103-page draft master plan published Friday, May 16, outlines A-Basin's long-term vision, according to a news release from the ski area, which describes the plan as "a dynamic document" that could be amended.
A-Basin president and chief operating officer Alan Henceroth first announced the draft master plan at the annual Ski Area COO Summit in 2023. But the ski area then put the plans on hold as it underwent the process of being sold to Alterra Mountain Co., the owner of the Ikon Pass
Henceroth said Friday that the ski area recently submitted the draft plan to the U.S. Forest Service for review. Henceroth said once the Forest Service accepts the plan, A-Basin can begin working on the project approval plan, hopefully by this fall.
"I don't think we're going to propose all the projects at once," Henceroth said. "We'll work our way through that over time. Today, the things we're really focused on are the avalanche control system, the parking and the pedestrian bridge, and the snowmaking upgrades. That's probably what we'll start with first."
Noting that this is the fourth master plan that A-Basin has submitted to the U.S. Forest Service over the years, Henceroth said that with each of those other plans taking about a decade to implement, he would expect this one to roll out at about the same pace. But nothing in the document is set in stone, and it all could be subject to change, he said.
Although those who love A-Basin always raise concerns that changes could impact their experience on the mountain, Henceroth said he expects the upgrades outlined in the draft master plan will only improve the experience, not diminish it.
"I imagine we're going to hear that again," Henceroth said of customers' concerns. "But these ideas are really well thought out. We've been working on them for years. I'm pretty excited to put them in motion."
The draft plan envisions two new parking areas. The Moose Hollow Parking area, which would add about 200 spaces, would be constructed adjacent to the existing Colorado Department of Transportation maintenance facility, the document states.
The Moose Hollow Parking area would have ski-in, ski-out access with a pedestrian bridge crossing the highway to the existing Last Chance and Upper Last Chance parking areas, according to the draft plan. The Upper Last Chance Lot would also reportedly be expanded with an additional parking area containing about 195 new spaces.
Overall, the new parking areas would expand the existing 1,674 parking spaces to closer to 2,069 parking spaces, the draft plan states. That amount of parking would be a slight surplus compared to what A-Basin expects on a typical busy winter weekend, helping to prevent illegal parking on U.S. Highway 6's Loveland Pass, according to the master plan.
The draft plan also envisions a gondola between the existing pedestrian tunnel that crosses under U.S. Highway 6 and the entrance to the Last Chance and Upper Last Chance lots. The "Park n Ride" gondola would eliminate the need for the existing shuttle between those upper lots and the base area, the master plan states.
"Right now the upper parking lots sometimes they seem like they're a million miles away. But really they're just a stone's throw from Wrangler and Chisholm trails," Henceroth said. "I think these proposed facilities will really bring all of this together and it will be so much easier for skiers and riders."
The existing drop-off area would also be rearranged to streamline movement, the draft plan states. In the summertime, the master plan also contemplates using one of the upper lots for RV camping.
Henceroth said that even with the expanded parking outlined in the draft plan, A-Basin would continue to manage the level of passes it sells and continue to manage parking through a reservation program to ensure parking and the ski area aren't overwhelmed.
"We anticipate continuing with parking reservations," Henceroth said. "We'll just have a few more spaces available to reserve."
An enhanced learning area is among the "small, strategic changes" outlined in the draft plan, which explains that A-Basin is constrained by limited base area space and a lack of beginner terrain.
To improve on-mountain circulation and the beginner experience, the master plan creates a new learning area called Sawmill Flats that would be connected to the base area via a new gondola. The Sawmill Flats learning area would be located below the existing Lenawee Express lift, near Upper Wrangler, one of A-Basin's beginner trails where the terrain is more gentle.
A detachable quad chairlift called the Wrangler lift would connect Sawmill Flats to Upper Wrangler, the draft plan states. The Wrangler lift would run slower than other lifts, allowing skiers who have graduated from the magic carpet to get introduced to aerial lifts and progress to the "advanced beginner" terrain at Upper Wrangler, according to the master plan. The new lift would also allow passengers to access the Lenawee Express.
"We do not have a lot of green terrain," Henceroth said. "The very best of our green terrain for teaching people how to ski is kind of isolated up there near the bottom of the Lenawee lift. The proposed gondola and the proposed detachable quad trail and conveyor will serve that area in an incredible way."
The draft plan also envisions construction of a new building with a footprint of about 10,000 square feet at the Sawmill Flats learning area. The new building would be home to a learning center, rentals for the ski school, additional food and beverage service and seating, restrooms and some office space, according to the master plan. The building would reportedly help relieve congestion at the base area, as well as take pressure off of the existing mid-mountain Black Mountain Lodge.
"There really is not much room in our existing base area to add building space. So, the idea is this new facility is a chance to add those things," Henceroth said. "People arrive here. They want to learn how to ski. They take a short gondola, and this is a very small gondola to get up there. They get to that location and everything they need is there."
The draft master plan envisions expanding A-Basin's existing 75 acres of snowmaking to 140 acres. That would include bringing about 25 acres of snowmaking to the Montezuma Bowl to expand the season in the backbowl and about 21 acres of snowmaking to the Loafer and Davis runs in the Beavers, according to the document. It would also reportedly include additional 19 acres of snowmaking on the frontside of the mountain to support the new Sawmill Flats area.
Henceroth noted that additional snowmaking would be dependent upon adjusting current restrictions for diverting water from the north fork of the Snake River. He said that the resort has been diverting water for snowmaking for 25 years while monitoring impacts to the river and so far has not observed any impacts.
"We'd like to get more trails with snowmaking coverage," Henceroth said. "We'd like to have two or three trails off of every lift. We'd like to be able to open those trails sooner than we do now."
To keep up with industry trends, the master plan also proposes moving away from "military grade artillery" and toward remote avalanche systems. The draft plan contemplates adding remote avalanche systems along the East Wall and the west side of the Montezuma Bowl to improve avalanche control in "terrain that can be dangerous to access."
Other potential additions contemplated in the draft master plan include adding an interpretive amphitheater on the mountain that could seat 30 to 40 people, four 150-square-foot day-use cabins that Henceroth said could be reserved similar to spots on The Beach for skiers to hang out at and a new maintenance facility. It also proposes expanding the amount of trails offer in the summer.
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