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Arapahoe Basin Ski Area to open new Beavers chairlift, terrain on Monday

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Antonio Olivero

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The wait is officially over for Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. The Summit County ski area at the Continental Divide will open lift service to a portion of its 339-acre terrain expansion into The Beavers on Monday.

As opposed to last year when The Beavers terrain expansion was initially only opened via hike-back access, on Monday, A-Basin’s new four-person Beavers chairlift will open mid-morning. For the rest of the season, the quad will run from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. daily.

The terrain expansion this year into The Beavers and the 129 acres of The Steep Gullies for A-Basin will include a total of 34 new runs, including two new intermediate groomed runs in The Beavers, open bowls and what’s expected to be some of the best glade skiing in the state.

“We’ve been fortunate to have received good snow in October and November,” Alan Henceroth, A-Basin’s chief operating officer, said in a press release Sunday evening. “This past week’s storm of an additional 22 (inches) has given us the opportunity to put the finishing touches on the new terrain. The conditions are fantastic. We couldn’t be more excited to open this new, lift-served terrain to the public.”

The 129 acres in The Steep Gullies — expected to be some of the most advanced and challenging terrain in Colorado — will open as soon as conditions permit, A-Basin said on Sunday. The Steep Gullies terrain will not be serviced by the new Beavers lift, as all skiers using this terrain will be required to take a 20- to 30-minute hike back to the bottom of the Pallavicini Lift, which A-Basin opened for the season on Saturday.

“We will start with Loafer,” Henceroth said of The Beavers terrain openings on his blog on Sunday afternoon. “As the day progresses, we will likely get some of the Dog Woods open. Sometime later tomorrow you should see Davis (and maybe a few more gladed trails) get open.”

“We definitely got buried by this storm,” Henceroth also said on his blog on Sunday. “It has been a great deal of work getting all the puzzle pieces together. Lots and lots of shoveling. Be sure and thank your favorite lift op, lift mechanic, cat driver and ski patroller next time you see them. They have had some long, long days getting the Beavers ready.”

A-Basin also on Sunday had a limited opening of its expert Pali Face and The Spine runs off of the Pallavicini lift. Henceroth said both runs should also be open on Monday around the middle of the day.

“I am just beside myself with all this fun,” the COO said.

For more information regarding The Beavers and Steep Gullies terrain expansion and trail map, you can click here.

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