THE LEGEND GROWS

Arapahoe Basin Opens 400-Acre Montezuma Bowl

By Bob Berwyn, 1-09-08

	The view from the base of Arapahoe Basin's new 400-acre Montezuma Bowl, set to open Jan. 11. Photo courtesy A-Basin.

Colorado powder hounds will get access to a new lift-served playground this week, as Arapahoe Basin announced the opening of Montezuma Bowl for Friday, Jan. 11. The 400-acre terrain expansion boosts the size of A-Basin by about 80 percent, a significant addition by any measure, especially for a small mountain that already skis big.

The new terrain includes a handful of steep double-black diamond shots, as well as a slew of intermediate groomed cruisers. The new bowl is mostly above-treeline and faces mostly south (with some east and west aspects), a nice addition for the high elevation ski area along the Continental Divide. The new lift may also spread out some of the congestion at A-Bain’s famed Pallavicini chair, where the wait can run to 20 minutes on busy spring weekends.

The proposal to add a lift in Montezuma Bowl initially stirred a bit of controversy among some local skiers who lamented the loss of yet another close-in sidecountry stash. With easy lift access from A-Basin through a backcountry portal, the bowl offered fine powder skiing with a run-out down to Montezuma Road. Some of the terrain is relatively low-angled and skiable even during times when the avalanche danger is high.

But once the ski area developed the bowl for skiing, the terrain became subject to inbounds restrictions. The area is no longer available for backcountry users. It’s part of the ski area and only open when the ski patrol gives the nod.

Some backcountry fans grumbled about the expansion, citing it as another example of Forest Service and ski industry insensitivity to their interests. As well, some locals expressed concern about parking issues at A-Basin. During busy spring weekends, the parking lots are filled to overflowing, and it’s not uncommon to see a string of tow trucks trundling up and own U.S. Highway 6, carting off vehicles illegally parked along the highway.

But A-Basin officials and local Forest Service rangers worked closely with the backcountry community during the planning of the ‘Zuma Bowl expansion, and offered a few new backcountry access points from the ski area to other nearby National Forest lands. The ski area also plans to expand and reconfigure parking lots, although it’s not yet clear if that will be enough to offset steadily rising visitation at A-Basin. The new bowl has been the focus of a marketing blitz that included local spots on CNN and bus boards in Denver and Boulder.

In any case, the skiing should be first-rate when the bowl opens. Colorado has been under the gun from a steady stream of storms the past week, with most areas in the state picking up anywhere from two to four feet of snow in recent weeks.

Check back with the New West Snowblog this weekend to get a firsthand account of skiing conditions in The Legend’s newest terrain.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.