If you’ve ever driven to Arapahoe Basin on a powder day, you know how difficult it can be to find a parking spot, let alone one at where you jump right on the slopes. Thatap one of the issues the ski area hopes to address in the coming years through a series of construction projects that aim to improve snowmaking, avalanche mitigation and, of course, guest parking.
The projects were disclosed last week when the White River National Forest posted whatap called , which opens a comment period for the public to provide feedback on A-Basin’s prospective infrastructure upgrades. Many Colorado ski resorts operate on Forest Service land, and as a result must submit master development plans to the agency every decade or so. Approval can often take a year or longer.
A-Basin’s desired modifications were previously outlined in a master development plan published last year, but the recent notice offers a window into its immediate priorities: growth and climate change.
“We’re really looking to, overall, enhance the quality of the skiing experience, the arrival experience here at A-Basin, and then one of the projects specifically relates to staff safety and to our ski patrol during avalanche mitigation,” said Tony Cammarata, vice president of development and planning.
Located in Summit County, A-Basin is usually among the first resorts to open in the fall and often the last to close in the late spring or early summer thanks to its high elevation. (This year’s closing on May 17 was one of the earliest in recent memory following a dry winter.) The base of the ski area sits at 10,800 feet and hike-to skiing is available up to nearly 13,000 feet.
But the amount of snowfall varies across the mountain, Cammarata said. A-Basin currently makes snow on about 75 acres and hopes to increase that by an additional 65 acres, which Cammarata said would connect different parts of the terrain and make more skiing available early in the season.
Snowmaking is also important as climate change continues to impact weather in the West and, inevitably, Colorado’s ski industry. Extreme snow droughts like the one that plagued much of the Western U.S. last winter will become more frequent — and eventually the norm — across much of the region as the climate continues to warm, according to a new study released in late July.
The proposed snowmaking would cover much of the advanced terrain in the Montezuma Bowl and on the Loafer and Davis ski runs in the Beavers section on the backside of the mountain, as well as by the Lenawee Express lift and several runs on the frontside of the mountain.
“We can open sooner than everybody because of our elevation and colder temps in the early part of the season. But for us, snowmaking is critical in connecting what we refer to as ‘terrain pods,’” Cammarata said. “Right now, we can get a couple trials open here and there. But for us to open and maintain access between chairlifts, or be able to open and maintain Montezuma Bowl, or get people back in the Beavers a little bit quicker, thatap where this enhanced snowmaking is going to really help us out.”
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Today, A-Basin makes snow on 5% of its terrain, while the new capacity would cover about 10% of its terrain, Cammarata added. "So this is not a huge snowmaking expansion," he said.
Still, it would require logistical changes. For example, A-Basin needs approval to increase how much water it draws from the North Fork of the Snake River to make snow.
The company is seeking to remove a cap that limits it to diverting 25% of the streamflow, according to plans submitted to the Forest Service. Minimum bypass flow rates would remain in place, meaning A-Basin would not be able to divert water when the river slows to certain, predetermined levels. (In October, the flow rate is 1 cubic foot per second to maintain conditions for spawning fish; every other month it is 0.5 cubic feet per second, the plan states.)
As for parking, A-Basin hopes to build two new lots with 400 additional spaces. One of those lots, called the Moose Hollow Lot, would be located on the east side of U.S. Highway 6 and allow skiers to walk directly onto the slopes. The other lot, the Upper Upper Last Chance Lot, would be on the west side of the highway, north of the existing parking lots.
“The Moose Hollow Lot would be the only addition to our parking lots that are on the snow surface, right next to the Wrangler ski trail," Cammarata said. "We think there’s demand for that up-close parking. We think that the whole kind of beach scene or ski in, ski out parking is what makes us unique, and we want a little bit more of that."
Additionally, A-Basin wants to construct a pedestrian bridge over Highway 6 to allow quicker and safer access to the mountain from the lots furthest from the base.
A-Basin currently has 1,695 parking spots. Compared to demand, itap running a deficit of 16 spaces, Cammarata said. While that may not seem like much, the deficit is much bigger on weekends from January through April and on powder days when A-Basin is the busiest, he said. The hope is that adding new lots will ease congestion and set the ski area up for future growth in attendance.
In 2024, Alterra Mountain Company acquired A-Basin and it has since been one of the resorts accessible on the Ikon Pass. That's one reason Cammarata expects skier visits to increase going forward. This upcoming winter, for instance, Ikon Pass holders will get unlimited days to ski at A-Basin, he said.
The final part of A-Basin’s proposal seeks to install remote avalanche control systems that enable ski patrollers to detonate explosives remotely, greatly improving safety. Remote detonation reduces the risks associated with both handling explosives and being near avalanche zones.
The systems feature towers that are filled with explosive magazines via helicopter and detonated remotely, “creating an ‘air-blast’ to trigger avalanches more effectively than those manually deployed or shots placed with an avalanche gun,” according to the Forest Service notice. While the number of towers that will be constructed is yet to be determined, they will likely be located above treeline along the East Wall and the west side of Montezuma Bowl.
The public can submit comments on A-Basin’s plan through Aug. 24 at . Cammarata said an environmental assessment is being done concurrently to evaluate how these projects might impact the landscape and wildlife. If all goes well, he anticipates the ski area to begin construction to install additional snowmaking equipment by summer of 2027 and construction on the parking lots to begin in 2028.
