Will A-Basin Change? 395 new acres approved.

Terrain at A-Basin to increase by 395 acres
By Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News
December 9, 2006
Arapahoe Basin got the thumbs up from the U.S. Forest Service Friday to almost double the Summit County ski area’s terrain.
The move allows 60-year-old A-Basin, now at 490 acres, to add a ski lift serving the 395-acre Montezuma Bowl on its backside. The terrain offers intermediate and advanced skiing – an area that has been popular with backcountry skiers.

“It’s great terrain back there, excellent for skiing and snowboarding,” said Alan Henceroth, A-Basin’s chief operating officer.

The Forest Service also OK’d an upgrade of the Exhibition lift, which serves A-Basin’s front side, and the construction of an additional 231 parking spaces. The rustic ski area has parking for 1,450 vehicles, including buses – an amount that has caused shortages, particularly in the spring.

Henceroth estimated the three projects would cost nearly $7 million, with the Montezuma Bowl portion costing about $3 million.

A-Basin plans to have the new lift to Montezuma Bowl operational for the 2007-08 season.

“Our hope is to do Montezuma Bowl this summer,” Henceroth said.

He added that work on the additional parking will begin next summer and take two to three years. Henceroth said the upgrade of the Exhibition lift is expected to happen “in two to three years.”

In a news release, the Forest Service said it granted the expansion and upgrades to better disperse intermediate and advanced skiers around the ski area and to move skiers more quickly up the mountain.

But not everyone is happy. Backcountry enthusiasts have prized Montezuma Bowl for its relatively easy access and challenging skiing. The new lift will mean more skiers will be ferried there.

“Another backcountry experience is lost,” said Ellen Hollinshead, head of the Summit County chapter of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance.

Hollinshead noted that the new Montezuma Bowl lift has been on A-Basin’s drawing board for a long time.

“But I hope they’re going to look into the impact on parking from this expansion,” she added, saying 231 additional parking spaces doesn’t seem sufficient.

“Expansions do increase skiers,” she said.

The public has 45 days to appeal the decision.

The approval came on the eve of A-Basin’s official celebration of its 60th season.

“It’s a nice little present for us,” Henceroth said.

What the A-Basin expansion will mean

• New lift serving the 395-acre Montezuma Bowl on the area’s backside, which will offer intermediate and advanced skiing.

• An upgrade of the existing Exhibition lift on the front side.

• 231 additional parking spaces

• Approximate cost: Nearly $7 million

fillionr@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2467