Colorado Arapahoe-Basin First to Open

[Chris Walker]

Just like real Midwest skiing!

Looking back, it's hard to believe I fell in love with this sport skiing in Ohio. I guess not knowing what I was missing was key.

 

[Monique]

Looking back, it's hard to believe I fell in love with this sport skiing in Ohio. I guess not knowing what I was missing was key.

"To the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

(Except there's a short story about how that's not true at all. But I digress.)

 

[ski otter 2]

It's like the puppy who's thrilled with the snow, either way. Over and over.

 

[Philpug]

Looking back, it's hard to believe I fell in love with this sport skiing in Ohio. I guess not knowing what I was missing was key.

You and @Chris Geib

 

[Monique]

You and @Chris Geib

Suddenly that skinny ski obsession makes a lot of sense.

 

[newfydog]

Looking back, it's hard to believe I fell in love with this sport skiing in Ohio.

Ohio team hat, USSA MidWest championships, 1972



We sent a guy on to nationals, who made top 10 in the slalom. I left the next year for Switzerland.

 

[Chris Geib]

Suddenly that skinny ski obsession makes a lot of sense.

I'm categorized as having a gear obsession on this site

 

[Monique]

I'm categorized as having a gear obsession on this site

Not *amount* of gear. But you do have a well known taste in gear! Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Jilly]

Have fun Pugsters!!

 

[Started at 53]

Take lots of photos for those of us that are jealous today!

 

[mikel]

Last season I started and ended with opening and closing day at A Basin. I typically never do opening day at the Basin My story is I was coerced and I'm sticking to it. Here is a shot from about 5 minutes ago.

photo credit: A Basin webcam

 

[Chris Walker]

Last season I started and ended with opening and closing day at A Basin. I typically never do opening day at the Basin My story is I was coerced and I'm sticking to it. Here is a shot from about 5 minutes ago.

photo credit: A Basin webcam

View attachment 31469

Yeah, why I no longer get interested in opening day, in 1 picture.

 

[Ecimmortal]

To continue this conversation, Timberline still wins. Not only did they open last week with fresh snow below Palmer. They opened BELOW the lodge today with 2 feet of fresh natural snow.

 

[ski otter 2]

The thing that, to me, made this year's A-Basin opening particularly hard, and a bit more of a circus, was that the regular area parking lot was closed except to employees, and early arrivals had to park in the upper level parking lots. (Several hours later, cars were apparently being parked in the regular lot anyway, not sure what was going on. I could only see it happening from the lift.)

A huge mound of pine tree choppings/mulch was in the parking lot, apparently a small remnant of the even larger such mountain of chop that had been there a few days ago.

I was told that just this past week A-Basin got use of a helicopter to air-lift up the trees that had been clearcut from the new Beavers area and left lining the new clearcut road from the new to the current ski area, as I described last summer in the Colo weather thread. The trees have now been put through choppers, up until the last day before opening.

 

[TonyC]

Just like real Midwest skiing!

That's about the size of it. Sandy_NYC presumably knows what Northeast skiing is like before Thankgiving on a WROD or two. That's exactly what you will get at A-Basin in October, and it's your call whether that's worth airfare. It sure isn't to me. And yes if you really want to ski Timberline is probably better.

The real answer to the 10 days off in October is to find something else you want to do. If you fly to either Denver or Portland, plan on skiing one or two days at most of the trip. Go find some national parks or other interesting places.

 

[luliski]

A high school classmate shared this photo on her Facebook page. Apparently someone fell off the lift at A Basin. He's okay. Doesn't look like much snow, though.

 

[TonyC]

That pic is a demonstration why that late September/early October Colorado snowfall has zero relevance to the upcoming season.

 

[SKI-3PO]

Looks like you get to ski down, then hike back up to get in the line to go down to the lift which takes you back up. I'm getting dizzy.

 

[Monique]

Last season I started and ended with opening and closing day at A Basin. I typically never do opening day at the Basin My story is I was coerced and I'm sticking to it. Here is a shot from about 5 minutes ago.

photo credit: A Basin webcam

View attachment 31469

Hey, I'm in that picture! Somewhere!

Looks like you get to ski down, then hike back up to get in the line to go down to the lift which takes you back up. I'm getting dizzy.

It wasn't nearly that bad once the initial line cleared. That was just before the lift opened. It was still 20-30 minute waits, though. We stopped for lunch at 11:30 having ridden the lift 5 times. Lift opened around 9, so ... okay, yeah, 30.

 

[SKI-3PO]

I'm sure it beat sitting in a cubicle as I was doing at that time.