Industry News
Arapahoe Basin in Colorado, has started spinning its iconic Pallavicini Lift, also known as just “Pali,” today, December 5. The Pallavicini lift at Arapahoe Basin (commonly known as A-Basin) is named after the challenging Pallavicini Run, which is itself named after the Pallavicini Couloir on Austria’s Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria. This steep and iconic couloir is famous among mountaineers and skiers, and its name was adopted to reflect the similarly steep and difficult terrain served by the lift at A-Basin.
The Pallavicini lift provides access to some of the resort’s most advanced terrain, including steep moguls, glades, and double-black diamond runs, making it a fitting tribute to its namesake. Pali is open with access to Slalom Slope, Grizzly Road, Powder Keg, Scutter, Challenger, and Radical. Plus, mountain operations will offer limited openings from on the east side of the lift including Pallavicini all the way to Rock Garden. Limited openings are where the resort opens runs for a few hours of the day, ensuring they don’t get too skied off and mountain operations can continue to manage the runs safely while allowing skiers and rider to enjoy new terrain.
Pali has a vertical incline of 1,329 feet, takes about seven minutes to ride, and reaches a peak elevation of 12,130 feet. The original Pali lift was built in 1978 by Yan Lifts and was replaced in 2020 with a Leitner-Poma double chair with the same hourly capacity. While the lift remained a fixed-grip double, the Pallavicini Lift received some much-needed improvements, including a safety bar and a silver-steel finish. From the lift, riders have spectacular views of Keystone, Highway 6, and the Loveland Pass.
The Pallavicini area is A-Basin’s legendary, front-side advanced and expert terrain. The primarily double-black Pallavicini runs are big mountain skiing that is accessible directly from the base area with a single lift ride. The area has also been hosting the A-Basin Enduro for 30 years. During the event, teams of two ski and ride as many runs as possible off the “Pali Chair” over 10 consecutive hours to help raise funds for a community member in need.
The Pallavicini is now open for the 2024-25 season.
