{"id":3156,"date":"2026-07-29T13:36:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3156"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T13:36:28","slug":"a-basin-details-plans-for-more-parking-snowmaking-and-a-highway-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3156","title":{"rendered":"A-Basin details plans for more parking, snowmaking and a highway bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019ve ever driven to Arapahoe Basin on a powder day, you know how difficult it can be to find a parking spot, let alone one at \u201cthe beach\u201d where you jump right on the slopes. That\u2019s one of the issues the ski area hopes to address in the coming years through a series of construction projects that aim to improve snowmaking, avalanche mitigation and, of course, guest parking.<\/p>\n

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The projects were disclosed last week when the White River National Forest posted what\u2019s called a notice of proposed action, which opens a comment period for the public to provide feedback on A-Basin\u2019s prospective infrastructure upgrades. Many Colorado ski resorts operate on Forest Service land, and as a result must submit master development plans to the agency every decade or so. Approval can often take a year or longer.<\/p>\n

A-Basin\u2019s desired modifications were previously outlined in a master development plan published last year, but the recent notice offers a window into its immediate priorities: growth and climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really looking to, overall, enhance the quality of the skiing experience, the arrival experience here at A-Basin, and then one of the projects specifically relates to staff safety and to our ski patrol during avalanche mitigation,\u201d said Tony Cammarata, vice president of development and planning.<\/p>\n

Located in Summit County, A-Basin is usually among the first resorts to open in the fall and often the last to close in the late spring or early summer thanks to its high elevation. (This year\u2019s closing on May 17 was one of the earliest in recent memory following a dry winter.) The base of the ski area sits at 10,800 feet and hike-to skiing is available up to nearly 13,000 feet.<\/p>\n

But the amount of snowfall varies across the mountain, Cammarata said. A-Basin currently makes snow on about 75 acres and hopes to increase that by an additional 65 acres, which Cammarata said would connect different parts of the terrain and make more skiing available early in the season.<\/p>\n

Snowmaking is also important as climate change continues to impact weather in the West and, inevitably, Colorado\u2019s ski industry. Extreme snow droughts like the one that plagued much of the Western U.S. last winter will become more frequent \u2014 and eventually the norm \u2014 across much of the region as the climate continues to warm, according to a new study released in late July.<\/p>\n

The proposed snowmaking would cover much of the advanced terrain in the Montezuma Bowl and on the Loafer and Davis ski runs in the Beavers section on the backside of the mountain, as well as by the Lenawee Express lift and several runs on the frontside of the mountain.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can open sooner than everybody because of our elevation and colder temps in the early part of the season. But for us, snowmaking is critical in connecting what we refer to as \u2018terrain pods,\u2019\u201d Cammarata said. \u201cRight now, we can get a couple trials open here and there. But for us to open and maintain access between chairlifts, or be able to open and maintain Montezuma Bowl, or get people back in the Beavers a little bit quicker, that\u2019s where this enhanced snowmaking is going to really help us out.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Endangered Snowpack: How climate change will affect Colorado skiing<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n