Breckenridge to open for summer operations June 18, Keystone June 24
Keystone downhill bike park returns after 2020 closure; A-Basin plans new via ferrata opening in late June
Vail Resorts properties Keystone and Breckenridge announced summer opening dates and additional offerings compared with 2020 on Wednesday, April 28.
At Keystone Resort, that includes the return of the downhill bike park and the Keystone Ranch golf course.
“This summer, we look forward to bringing back a wider variety of activities at both resorts,” Vail Resorts spokesperson Sara Lococo wrote in an email.
Daily lift service for Breckenridge Ski Resort’s summer Epic Discovery on-mountain operations will begin June 18 and run through Sept. 6. The resort will also open for an additional weekend Sept. 10-12.
Keystone will open for summer June 24, operating Thursdays through Sundays through Labor Day.
Keystone’s two golf courses, the River and Ranch courses, will open May 14 and 21, respectively. Daily tee times are now available.
Lococo said the resorts’ operations last summer were limited to scenic lift and gondola rides and a few other select activities, like the Alpine slides and mountain coaster at Breckenridge and golf at the River Course at Keystone.
Lococo said Breckenridge will bring back the majority of the resort’s summer activities this season, including Peak 8 Basecamp and Alpine Camp. Peak 8 Basecamp and Scenic Rides will begin the weekend of June 18, and Alpine Camp will open as soon as weather and conditions permit.
Breckenridge will also offer scenic rides and a bike haul via the Colorado SuperChair, the Alpine slide, the mountain coaster, ropes challenge courses and kids’ activities, like gemstone panning and bungee trampolines.
Lifts used in Breckenridge’s summer operations include the BreckConnect Gondola, the Colorado SuperChair and 5 Chair.
Lococo said Keystone anticipates opening the majority of the lift-served bike park and its trails — as well as the resort’s hiking trails — as soon as conditions permit.
Keystone will also offer scenic lift rides, base-area activities such as bungee trampolines and gemstone panning, and Lakeside Village activities on the Keystone Lake. Horseback trail rides and dinner wagon rides will also be offered.
Lococo said both resorts will have more details available on their websites in the coming weeks. She added that the resorts will operate according to local public health orders, including guidance on face coverings.
A-Basin to open for summer June 25, Copper June 11
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will open daily for summer operations from June 25 through Sept. 6 with several new summer offerings, including the debut of the via ferrata roped climbing course on the East Wall.
A-Basin spokesperson Katherine Fuller said this will be the first summer A-Basin opens seven days a week.
Fuller said the ski area’s aerial adventure park, which debuted last summer, will be open Fridays through Sundays beginning Memorial Day weekend, then daily starting June 25.
The ski area will also open its via ferrata on the East Wall, currently scheduled for late June. The via ferrata is a climbing route that follows iron rungs or handholds that have been fixed permanently to the rock.
A-Basin’s via ferrata course — the highest in North America — is a full- or half-day guided experience. The full-day tour ascends 800 feet to a 13,000-foot summit. The shorter trip reaches an old mine shaft where climbers can learn more about the history of the area. Harnesses, ropes and helmets are used but previous rock climbing experience is not needed.
Fuller also said new dining events at A-Basin this summer will include a farm-to-table dinner series in the lower-mountain area between late June and early September. For the dinners, guests will hike a short distance to a wildflower field where they will find small tables covered in white tablecloths and a four to five course, chef-prepared meal highlighting different local and seasonal foods.
Fuller said other offerings will include yoga classes on the deck of the Black Mountain Lodge and scenic chairlift rides as well as free access to the resort’s disc golf course and hiking and biking trails.
Copper Mountain Resort spokesperson Taylor Prather said the resort will open for summer operations June 11 with activities daily including the Rocky Mountain Coaster, Woodward WreckTangle and more. Prather said more details will be available soon.
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