TL;DR
A-Basin wraps up a 194-day season on 3 May, maintaining its position as Colorado's longest-running resort despite historically thin snowpack. The resort has announced $39 lift tickets for the final weekend along with live music and end-of-season events.
Colorado's High-Altitude Stalwart Calls Time on Thin Season
Arapahoe Basin has announced it will close for the season on Sunday, 3 May, bringing to an end a 194-day operating season that tested the limits of snow management in one of Colorado's most difficult winters on record. Despite historically thin snowpack and warm temperatures across the state, A-Basin once again outlasted every other Colorado resort.
With a waning snowpack, Mother Nature has deemed it our time. A-Basin will be closing for the winter season on Sunday, May 3. May is well known for officially unofficial days here at The Basin.
Operating Through a Historically Lean Winter
The 194-day season is worth putting in context. In years with normal snowfall, A-Basin routinely operates into June, sometimes pushing towards the Fourth of July holiday. This year's closure date arrives several weeks earlier than the resort would prefer, but the thin snowpack has finally caught up with operations.
The resort's ability to stretch nearly 200 days out of a below-average snow year speaks to the advantages of high-altitude skiing - A-Basin's base sits at 3,286 metres - and aggressive grooming practices. When natural snowfall disappoints, elevation becomes the primary defence against premature closures. In this case, it bought the resort almost an extra month compared to most competitors in the region.
