Resort Spotlight: Arapahoe Basin - Colorado's High-Altitude Season Stretcher

Few Colorado resorts operate into June. Fewer still open in October. Arapahoe Basin does both, stretching the season to eight months in favorable years through sheer altitude and exposure. At 3,977 metres summit elevation, A-Basin sits high enough to accumulate 8.9 metres of annual snowfall and maintain it well past the spring thaw affecting lower mountains. The trade-off is minimal base infrastructure and weather that can shut operations down mid-winter when storms hit.

This isn't a resort built around village amenities or groomed cruisers. The terrain breakdown tells the story: 73% of runs are marked advanced or expert, with intermediate and beginner offerings limited to 27% combined. Nine lifts service 147 runs across terrain that favours those comfortable with steeps, bumps, and exposed bowls.

Arapahoe Basin Mountain Overview

The 771-metre vertical drop is modest by Rocky Mountain standards, but the usable terrain extends well beyond the marked trails. A-Basin's terrain parks and alpine bowls attract different crowds - park riders gravitate to the features near mid-mountain, whilst advanced skiers head to the Montezuma Bowl and steep Pallavicini run that regularly appear on social media feeds during powder days.

With just 7% beginner terrain, this is not where you bring first-timers expecting gentle progression. The green runs exist primarily to move people around the mountain rather than provide meaningful learning terrain. Intermediates fare slightly better with 20% of runs marked blue, though many of these sit on the challenging end of that classification.