The projects were disclosed last week when the White River National Forest posted what����ap 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, that����ap where this enhanced snowmaking is going to really help us out.”

Endangered Snowpack: How climate change will affect Colorado skiing

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, it����ap 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.

As of 2:10 p.m., had reopened between Henderson Mine Road and Robbers Roost, though traffic was alternating directions in the area, according to state transportation officials. The is at the base of Berthoud Pass.

No additional information about the avalanche was available Thursday afternoon.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Search and rescue crews found the man buried in a 3-foot-deep avalanche just after sunrise on Sunday in the Boss Basin area, which is on Resolution Creek near Vail Pass and a few miles west of Copper Mountain, .

The man, a solo backcountry skier who has not been publicly identified, triggered the avalanche in the afternoon of March 7, according to the report. He accessed the ski area by snowmobile at 7 a.m. that day and was last seen headed to the Boss Basin area at roughly 1:15 p.m., officials said in the report.

As the skier traveled down a slope in the area, which he had already skied once that day, a wave of snow and debris swept him away and buried him, state officials said. Only the tip of one ski was visible when he was found.

The skier was traveling alone, so nobody knew he was missing until he didn’t return home, according to the report. He was reported overdue by a family member at 11:30 p.m. on March 7.

Summit County Rescue Group crews searched the area overnight and found the man’s snowmobile on the ridge at 4:00 a.m., the report stated. A thermal-imaging drone flying overhead found the avalanche with ski tracks leading into it about two hours later. The drone captured two sets of ski tracks entering the avalanche area, but only one leaving, officials said.

A helicopter pilot flew rescuers to the scene at about 8 a.m. Sunday, and an avalanche rescue dog found the man’s buried body within minutes, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The skier’s head was buried more than a foot below the surface, according to the report. He was already dead when rescuers arrived.

Investigators were unable to speak with anyone who witnessed the avalanche and based the report on interviews with rescuers and information collected at the avalanche site, officials stated.

“Backcountry travel in a group is generally safer than traveling alone,” Colorado Avalanche Information Center officials said in the report. “A well-equipped group that uses safe travel protocols will have more resources to enact a rescue if something goes wrong.”

Solo backcountry travelers accounted for 23% of Colorado avalanche deaths between October 2020 and September 2025, according to the agency. At least one person in Colorado died in an avalanche while traveling by themselves during each of the last five avalanche seasons.

Investigators said it’s not possible to know if having a partner would have saved the man’s life.

“However, given the depth of (the man)’s burial, lack of signs of trauma, and the condition of his equipment … there is a reasonable chance that a fast and efficient companion rescue could have produced a different outcome,” investigators wrote in the report.

A snowmobiler was reported missing Saturday evening in the Boss Basin area, which is on Resolution Creek south of Ptarmigan Pass and a few miles west of Copper Mountain, according to a .

When search and rescue crews arrived, they found a 2-foot-deep avalanche with ski and snowmobile tracks leading into it, the report stated. Teams from the Summit County Rescue Group, Vail Mountain Rescue and Summit and Eagle County Sheriff’s Offices all responded, state officials said.

The missing person was found dead in the avalanche debris at about sunrise Sunday, according to the report. Investigators believe the person was caught, buried and killed by the rapid snowslide.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the skier,” Colorado Avalanche Information Center officials stated.

No other injuries or deaths were reported, but the avalanche remained under investigation Sunday.

The fatal avalanche came after days of heavy mountain snow late last week.

Spotters in areas near the avalanche reported 6 to 8 inches of fresh snow had accumulated by Saturday morning, .

Parts of the Indian Peaks Wilderness saw more than 23 inches of snow, Longs Peak reported more than 15 inches, Loveland Pass recorded more than 12 inches and Berthoud Pass saw upwards of 18 inches, according to spotter reports from the weather service.

More than 40 backcountry explorers saw avalanches on various Colorado mountain ranges between Friday and Sunday, according to . At least one person reported being caught in an avalanche, and 12 people reported triggering the snowslides. No injuries had been reported as of Sunday afternoon.

Roughly four dozen explorers reported seeing avalanches or their aftermath, 19 reported triggering avalanches and two people were caught in waves of snow and debris, according to field reports filed between Friday and Sunday with the .

While several people filed reports for a single avalanche, others documented as many as 32 avalanche sightings in a single report.

“This avalanche cycle was by far the most destructive and widespread of the season,” an observer who confirmed more than two dozen avalanche sightings .

The state agency issued a “” on Friday for increased avalanche danger on most of Colorado’s mountain ranges, which is set to expire at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

“We are seeing and expect more of the largest avalanches seen so far this season,” state officials wrote in the advisory. “Safe travel in backcountry terrain this weekend will require careful and very selective terrain choices. Any mistakes could be deadly.”

While the advisory will expire Sunday evening, dangerous avalanche conditions “will likely take longer than that to quiet down,” according to the advisory.

As of Sunday afternoon, no avalanche-related injuries or fatalities had been reported, according to the .

The two people caught in the snow on Saturday, a skier and a snowboarder, triggered avalanches “in steep, rocky terrain” near Bonita Peak in the northern San Juan Mountains, according to a filed with the agency.

The snowboarder triggered the initial avalanche, and the skier started a second, smaller wave from the “hang-fire” — the residual, unstable snow remaining after the initial release, the report stated.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center officials issued a special avalanche advisory on Friday because for increased avalanche danger across the state after , forming “thick cohesive slabs above an unusually shallow and week snowpack.”

“You can easily trigger a slide on slopes with drifted snow. If you trigger a slide, it is likely to step down into deeper, weak layers and be large enough to bury a person. You can trigger these avalanches from flat areas below steep slopes,” state officials said in an alert.

Conditions will remain dangerous through the weekend, and people need to plane carefully and be conservative when selecting terrain, according to the CAIC. Slopes sheltered from the wind or less than 30 degrees and not connected to steeper terrain are a safer bet.

Updated backcountry forecasts are available online at

As of Wednesday morning, several areas in Colorado’s mountains had already reported more than 6 inches of snow accumulation, with at least one spotter near Crested Butte reporting 11 inches, according to the .

But the storm isn’t over yet.

The following snowfall amounts are expected to accumulate between 5 a.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Saturday, :

• 1 inch in Aurora, Brighton, Commerce City, Denver, Highlands Ranch, Littleton and Northglenn, and at Denver International Airport
• 1 inch in Arvada, Boulder, Castle Rock, Fort Collins, Parker and Longmont, with up to 2 inches possible
• 1 inch in Crook and Sterling on the Eastern Plains, with up to 4 inches possible
• 2 inches in Conifer, Estes Park and Julesburg, with up to 4 inches possible
• 5 inches in Georgetown, with up to 6 inches possible
• 6 inches in Eldora, Breckenridge, Grand Lake and at the Keystone Ski Area Summit, with up to 7 inches possible
• 7 inches on Interstate 70’s Vail Pass, with up to 10 inches possible
• 8 inches on Colorado 125’s Willow Creek Pass near Granby, Colorado 9’s Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge and at Winter Park, with up to 10 inches possible
• 9 inches on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass and U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 11 inches possible
• 10 inches on U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass near Kremmling, with up to 12 inches possible
• 11 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins,  U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park and at Bear Lake in RMNP, with up to 13 inches possible
• 21 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit in the Park Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, with up to 25 inches possible

Denver will see chances of snow between 2 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday, and between 5 a.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday, according to . The strongest chance of accumulating snow will be overnight Friday into Saturday.

Snow is forecast in the mountains through Saturday evening, according to the weather service.

Recreationists should avoid Colorado’s backcountry in the Park, Gore Flat Tops and Elkhead mountain ranges because of high avalanche danger, .

High danger, a level four on the five-point danger scale, is forecast for most of Colorado’s northern, central and southern mountain ranges on Wednesday and Thursday, . An will be in effect for the mountains until 5 p.m. Thursday.

“Very dangerous avalanche conditions will persist in most of these areas through Thursday, possibly into Friday if winds stay elevated and keep blowing snow, and if Friday’s wave of snow turns out to be more than is currently forecast,” . “For now, avoid traveling in avalanche terrain.”

The winter weather will create dangerous avalanche conditions for backcountry explorers, and is expected to disrupt travel on mountain roads and highways, including Interstate 70, forecasters said.

“Travel on I-70 through the mountains will rapidly deteriorate after 6 a.m. as strong winds and snow spread eastward across Colorado’s mountains,” .

According to weather service forecasts, snowfall amounts expected to accumulate between 5 a.m. Tuesday and 5 a.m. Friday included:

• 1 inch in Conifer and Bailey, with up to 2 inches possible
• 6 inches in Eldora, with up to 7 inches possible
• 7 inches in Winter Park and Breckenridge, with up to 9 inches possible
• 9 inches on U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 13 inches possible
• 11 inches on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass and U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass near Kremmling, with up to 14 inches possible
• 12 inches on Colorado 125’s Willow Creek Pass near Granby, Interstate 70’s Vail Pass and Colorado 9’s Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge, with up to 15 inches possible
• 14 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins, with up to 17 inches possible
• 15 inches on U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 18 inches possible
• 18 inches at Bear Lake in RMNP, with up to 21 inches possible
• 32 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit in Colorado’s Park Range of the Rocky Mountains, with up to 38 inches possible

A will be in effect for Park, Grand and Summit counties — including Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bow, Mosquito and Indian Peaks mountain ranges — until 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the weather service.

Winter storm warnings will also be active until 5 a.m. Thursday for the Rabbit Ears Pass area in , the , the and the , according to the weather service.

This week’s snowstorm will create “high” and “extreme” avalanche danger for several of Colorado’s mountain ranges, including the San Juan and Park ranges, forecasters said in an .

“The biggest storm of the season is bringing strong winds and feet of snow to an area with a very weak snowpack,” . “You can easily trigger large and dangerous avalanches on most steep slopes. … Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.”

This is a developing story and may be updated.

This week’s snowstorm will bring the season’s “most dangerous avalanche conditions,” according to the . The agency from one, low, to five, extreme, based on the expected size, likelihood and distribution of avalanches.

High and extreme avalanche danger is forecast for Colorado’s backcountry from Tuesday to Friday, . The avalanches will be large enough to seriously injure or kill a person, officials said.

Natural avalanches will be likely, and human-triggered avalanches very likely, in parts of the Park Range, Elk, West Elk and San Juan mountain ranges, according to a news release from the information center.

Backcountry travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended in areas , officials said in the news release.

“This week’s avalanche danger is being driven by heavy snowfall and strong southwest winds gusting up to 70 mph, which will create widespread blowing and drifting snow,” information center officials stated. “Wind-drifted snow will rapidly load an already weak snowpack, increasing the likelihood of large and destructive avalanches.”

An avalanche watch will be in effect for the four mountain ranges from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Friday, . The Elk and West Elk mountains will see avalanche danger start as early as Tuesday morning, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The Gore, Elk, Flat Tops and Park mountain ranges will also be under a winter storm warning from 11 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Thursday, though snow is expected to continue into the weekend, .

The weather service for Jackson, Larimer, Grand, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Summit and Park counties from 2 a.m. Tuesday to 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Up to 70 mph winds are forecast during that time on Colorado’s mountain passes, according to the advisory. Blowing snow will reduce visibility and may create hazardous, white-out conditions.

As of Monday afternoon, the following snowfall amounts to accumulate by 5 a.m. Thursday:

• 3 inches in Estes Park, with up to 4 inches possible
• 6 inches in Eldora, with up to 7 inches possible
• 7 inches in Breckenridge and Winter Park, with up to 9 inches possible
• 7 inches at the Keystone Ski Area Summit, with up to 10 inches possible
• 10 inches on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass and U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park, with up to 12 inches possible
• 10 inches on Interstate 70’s Vail Pass, with up to 13 inches possible
• 11 inches on Colorado 9’s Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge, with up to 13 inches possible
• 12 inches on Colorado 125’s Willow Creek Pass near Granby, with up to 14 inches possible
• 13 inches on U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass near Kremmling, with up to 16 inches possible
• 14 inches and U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, with up to 17 inches possible
• 16 inches at Bear Lake in RMNP and on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins, with up to 19 inches possible
• 28 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit in the Park Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, with up to 34 inches possible

Traces of snow are forecast for the Denver area between Wednesday and Thursday, but daytime temperatures in the 50s and 40s mean any snowfall is unlikely to stick, .

Mountain snow will fall Monday night through Saturday evening, but the strongest waves of heavy snow are expected in the afternoon on Tuesday and Wednesday, .

The Park Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains will see between 6 and 15 inches on average, with roughly 20 inches possible in some areas, . As of Wednesday morning, through 5 a.m. Saturday included up to:

• A trace of snow in the Denver and Boulder areas
• 3 inches at Eldora
• 5 inches in Winter Park
• 6 inches on Colorado 125’s Willow Creek Pass near Granby and Colorado 9’s Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge
• 8 inches on U.S. 6’s Loveland Pass, U.S. 40’s Muddy Pass near Kremmling and U.S. 40’s Berthoud Pass near Winter Park
• 9 inches at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park and on Interstate 70’s Vail Pass
• 10 inches on U.S. 34’s Milner Pass in RMNP
• 11 inches on Colorado 14’s Cameron Pass near Fort Collins
• 23 inches on Mount Zirkel, the highest summit of the Park Range

Will your favorite ski resort get snow this weekend? Here’s every major snow stake webcam in Colorado.

A will be in effect for the Park Range until 11 a.m. Thursday, warning of "difficult to impossible" travel, according to the weather service. The area will also be under an from Wednesday night to Thursday evening.

"Heavy snow and wind, drifting snow, will create dangerous avalanche conditions," . "Large and dangerous avalanches will be easy to trigger once the new snow accumulates. Avalanches will run naturally."

A separate was issued for the Front Range mountains at 6 a.m. Wednesday, which will continue through noon Thursday.