Arapahoe Basin acquiring a fast airlift and other upgrades

This is an interesting article by John Meyer, The Know from The Denver Post discussing several important news items this week. John Meyer, The Know recently posted the article and I decided it was worth syndicating on this website.

The U.S. Forest Service will let Arapahoe Basin replace a key chairlift and construct a warming hut with food service on the upper part of the mountain.

The Lenawee lift, which is a slow, fixed-grip, three-person chair from mid-mountain to the summit, will be replaced during summer 2022 by a faster, detachable-grip chair that’ll seat either four or six. A-Basin management hasn’t yet decided the seating situation.

The Steilhang Hut, which will be constructed this summer, will offer year-round food service, indoor seating and an outdoor deck. It will be constructed near the Via Ferrata (the “Iron Way” in Italian) rock climbing area on the East Wall, which is set to open this summer with steel cables, iron rungs and harnesses for safety protection.

Related Articles

Staff favorites: 3 golf courses for weekend warriors Gore Valley Trail through Dowd Junction to open Friday, weather permitting Despite death of eaglets, bald eagle conservation has paid off at Barr Lake State Park Standley Lake rangers now believe only one eagle egg has hatched Staff Favorites: The best place to experience the pleasures of spring skiing

The Forest Service also approved a new food service building adjacent to the Black Mountain Lodge.

“Downhill skiing is one of the primary recreational activities that make the White River National Forest the most visited national forest in the country,” said Bobbi Filbert, acting Dillon district ranger. “These improvements are within A-Basin’s permitted operational boundary, and the project is designed to minimize potential impacts to other resources.”

Existing lift towers will be retained where feasible, the news release from the Forest Service said. No trees will need to be removed, and wetlands will be avoided.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.