Greg Finch has big plans for Arapahoe Basin, including nearly doubling the ski area’s pristine high-altitude terrain, but those plans don’t include changing its rustic feel.
“Since the beginning, we’ve been trying to make it bigger and better,” said Finch, executive vice president of Dundee Realty USA, which has owned the ski area since 1997. “But we have never felt that we needed to chase Keystone, Copper or Vail. That’s not what A-Basin is about.”
With hike-to terrain that tops out at 13,000 feet above sea level, A-Basin has a reputation as a no-frills, no-nonsense destination for serious skiers and snowboarders. It often captures some of the state’s earliest snow and preserves it well into summer.
Its popularity has grown over the years, with skier visits increasing by more than 50 percent since Dundee bought A-Basin from Vail Resorts Inc. for $4 million in cash. Last winter alone, A-Basin saw a record 328,251 skiers and snowboarders, according to Colorado Ski Country USA, up 19.2 percent from the previous season.
To keep up with the demand and to reach out to intermediate skiers, Avon-based Dundee has proposed a $2 million expansion of skiable terrain that would add roughly 325 acres on the backside of the Montezuma Bowl. A-Basin now has 487 skiable acres; nearby Keystone, in comparison, has 2,870.
The U.S. Forest Service is considering the expansion request and will accept public comments through Jan. 6. If approved, the new terrain could open in time for the 2007-08 ski season.
Conservationists oppose the expansion into Montezuma Bowl because it would occur within the Porcupine Peak Roadless Area and adversely affect wildlife, including lynx, they say.
A-Basin’s proposal also calls for adding 231 parking spaces, building a $2 million midmountain restaurant that could open by fall 2008 and converting the main Exhibition lift to a high-speed quad – the No. 1 request from patrons, Finch said.
“We really need the added capacity,” he said. “There are 20 to 25 days per year right now when we are totally maxed out.”
Dundee already has spent $1.3 million to build a new ski-rental and retail shop at the mountain’s base that matches the style of A-Basin’s original lodge. It will open in mid-February.
“The proposed expansion is a great example of a resort listening to its guests and following through on the feedback,” said Molly Cuffe, Colorado Ski Country communications director.
Unlike many independent areas that are limited to ski revenue, A-Basin benefits from the deep pockets of Dundee and its Toronto-based parent, which is mainly a real-estate company.
There is no developable land surrounding A-Basin, but Dundee has made money over the past 10 years by developing high-end residential and retail projects in the Vail Valley, including the St. James Place building in Beaver Creek.
And with last summer’s purchase of Bear Valley Mountain Resort near Lake Tahoe, Calif., which is zoned for at least 600 residential units, Dundee finally has the opportunity to create its own mountain village.
“We’ve been very profitable in our real estate,” Finch said. “It just doesn’t happen to be at A-Basin. (Bear Valley) gives us an opportunity to plan and develop both the ski area and the mountain real estate.”
A-Basin first opened in December 1946 with a single rope tow and a $1.25 daily lift ticket. It soon became known for its extreme high-altitude terrain, as well as its lengthy season, sometimes closing in July. Roughly half the proposed Montezuma Bowl acreage will be intermediate terrain.
“Maybe we can convince people that we really do have a lot of intermediate terrain,” said Finch.
Vail Resorts owned the ski area until 1997 but was required by the U.S. Department of Justice to sell it before getting permission to buy Keystone and Breckenridge from Ralcorp Inc.
A-Basin and Vail Resorts have since had a joint-ticketing agreement that allows Vail Resorts pass or lift-ticket holders to ski there, with A-Basin getting a percentage from each visit.
The relationship is beneficial for both companies, Finch said.
“It gives us exposure to the Vail marketing and promotions machine and their base of skiers,” he said. “It really helps Vail sell their season passes and with customer loyalty.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
