Industry News
The US Forest Service has accepted Arapahoe Basin’s proposal to add a new lift, a new rope tow, and expand their terrain by 400 acres.
The new lift will be a quad that will gain 1,500 vertical feet in elevation.
Arapahoe Basin is one of the most ‘core ski resort in the US with a base area at 10,800 feet and ski access up to 13,000 feet. Adding terrain and lifts here is a very good thing.
The Summit County Voice has all the details you need on this big move by Arapahoe Basin:
FRISCO — U.S. Forest Service officials say they’ve accepted Arapahoe Basin Ski Area’s proposal to begin implementing pieces of a master plan that was updated last winter, including a new lift in the Beavers area, a short surface lift to improve access to Montezuma Bowl, and increased water storage for snowmaking.
The new lift in the Beavers area, to the west of the ski area’s current operational boundary, would serve about 400 acres of terrain.
“Two or so trails would be cleared while the majority would be gladed. The proposal calls for a four-person lift that would gain 1,500’ in elevation,” said Forest Service snow ranger Shelly Grail. “The proposed reservoir expansion is still being fine-tuned. It’s final proposal location will be determined after more wetland delineation work and feedback from the Army Corps of Engineers,” Grail said.
The Forest Service will start the formal environmental studies for the proposal with a scoping period sometime in the next few weeks, but before that, the agency and the ski area will give the public a chance to get an overview of the plan with an Oct. 3 field session.
“I highly recommend this for anyone curious about the proposal,” said A-Basin’s Alan Henceroth. “The tour will take most of the day and will involve a fair bit of walking on rough terrain. We will also discuss our proposals for a new surface lift to Montezuma Bowl, increased snowmaking reservoir storage, and a zipline/challenge course. This tour is meant to give anyone interested a clearer understanding of the proposal,” Henceroth said. – Summit Country Voice
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