Arapahoe Basin announced that they are pulling the plug with vail resorts. Reactions from epic pass holders has been quite interesting to say the least. 934 comments and still growing on their instagram post above. With early season riding and one of the first resorts to start turning the lift each season in North America it will make pass holders realize how good that access was. When all the other resorts stop turning their chairs in April, A-Basin will continue to stay open, some times as late as the Fourth of July. Nothing beats some spring riding and grilling along the beach while enjoying the sun and park laps on the Pallavicini chair.
We respect their decision... Now their will be parking for everyone, lift lines wont be bad and the restaurant and bar will be able to accommodate everyone with seating etc. We would ride just A-Basin for an entire season no questions asked. We're sure a lot of locals will appreciate an affordable pass for just A-Basin and take advantage of it. The one currently offered for Keystone and A-Basin has been a popular choice, especially among some locals, who get access to the ski areas for less than $400 a season. This will definitely put a dent on Keystone's pass sales. Keystone/Vail resorts probably feel different about that as they announced they will try to compete with A-Basin and Loveland to be the first chair turning in North America.
A-Basin's chief operating officer Alan Henceroth talked about how Arapahoe Basin has invested $40 million in on-mountain upgrades over the last 15 years. He also cited the "tremendous growth" in skier and snowboarder traffic the ski area has seen over the last several years.
While problems with parking have been frustrating A-Basin's guests for some time now, the situation hit a boiling point earlier this year when A-Basin was warning drivers that cars illegally parked over the white lines on Highway 6 leading up to the ski area were getting towed.
The question of the day is are they going to partner with Icon pass in the future? "If we were to enter into a partnership with another place, we're months and months away from that," Henceroth said. "I think it would be before the next ski season, but it won't be in time for spring pass sales".
