Courtesy Katherine Fuller, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area’s COO elaborates on condensed June operations
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area chief operating officer Alan Henceroth described in a blog post on Saturday why the ski area at the Continental Divide will shift to a three-day per week schedule rather than seven days a week after today.
A-Basin will be open for three-day weekends June 7-9, 14-16 and 21-23. Henceroth said the ski area will decrease to three days per week to try to match operations to business levels.
“While folks still skiing and riding are incredibly passionate about this sport, there are not quite as many of them still making turns in June,” Henceroth said. “Many of our employees are moving on to their summer jobs. With fewer visitors in summer, we have found that by consolidating our business into those three days it works out better for both the business and the employees. I certainly appreciate that many of you wish we were skiing seven days a week.”
Henceroth also said that during A-Basin’s closed days through June 23, the ski area’s snowcat crew will be busy, including work opening waterbars — a way for controlling runoff — and managing snow. Henceroth said each week the ski area’s crew will have snow torn up for a few days before putting it back together by the time chairs start spinning again each Friday.
“We anticipate water to really start flowing in places,” Henceroth said.
Due to the weekly work the ski area’s crews will be conducting with the ski area’s remaining snowpack, Henceroth said A-Basin’s uphill access will be closed Monday through Thursday. The COO added that if conditions are still good, uphill access will reopen Friday.