{"id":799750,"date":"2019-09-24T20:14:03","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T02:14:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=371981"},"modified":"2019-09-24T20:14:03","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T02:14:03","slug":"after-opening-a-new-downhill-mountain-biking-trail-arapahoe-basin-ski-area-elaborates-on-future-summer-recreation-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/after-opening-a-new-downhill-mountain-biking-trail-arapahoe-basin-ski-area-elaborates-on-future-summer-recreation-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"After opening a new downhill mountain biking trail, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area elaborates on future summer recreation plans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A mountain biker rides Arapahoe Basin Ski Area’s new mountain biking trail, which opened Saturday.<\/strong>
Ian Zinner \/ Arapahoe Basin Ski Area<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

FRISCO \u2014 Ski season is coming soon<\/a>, but the team at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area elaborated over the weekend on its new mountain biking trail, which opened Saturday.<\/p>\n

Dubbed Atomic Janitor, the portion of trail open to mountain bikers offers a 1 mile descent that was completed by trail crews from A-Basin and the International Mountain Bicycling Association\u2019s Trail Solutions program.<\/p>\n

Arapahoe Basin spokeswoman Katherine Fuller said in a news release Saturday afternoon that the open trail is a preview of what is to come over the next two summers when trail crews will build out a new mountain biking and hiking network that was designed in partnership with IMBA.<\/p>\n

Fuller added that Atomic Janitor eventually will extend up the mountain\u2019s front-side terrain and allow riders to descend from Black Mountain Lodge at midmountain to the base area.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo other ski area in Colorado is doing what we\u2019re doing here\u201d at A-Basin, Joey Klein, of IMBA Trail Solutions, said in the release. \u201cIt\u2019s a blend of old-school traditional singletrack and that new breed of purpose-built enduro mountain biking. You\u2019re going to have to earn your turns to come up here and ride this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Atomic Janitor, Fuller said IMBA Trail Solutions and A-Basin trail crews also built a new singletrack access route for the existing Argentine North Fork Trail. The new access route for mountain bikers bypasses a short section of road and offers a more bike-friendly climbing option.<\/p>\n

Elaborating on A-Basin\u2019s mountain biking and hiking for future summers, Fuller said construction will begin next summer on a large, cross-country-style mountain biking and hiking loop trail. It will eventually create about 10 miles of riding that will enable hikers and mountain bikers to explore much of the front side of the ski area.<\/p>\n

She added that the ski area\u2019s future high Alpine loop trail will ascend from midmountain to 12,500 feet \u2014 at the top of lift-served terrain \u2014 before heading west, traversing the ridgeline and descending into The Beavers area. The loop will finish by crossing the top of the Pallavicini terrain before connecting to Atomic Janitor for the descent. It is scheduled to be completed in summer 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe system could be described as backcountry \u2014 an intermediate-to-advanced, old-school riding experience on bike-optimized trails,\u201d Fuller said.<\/p>\n

Currently, A-Basin\u2019s primary summer trail for recreation is the Lenawee Trail. It\u2019s a demanding, steep and rocky 3.3-mile, 2,000-foot elevation gain old U.S. Forest Service trail that descends off the top of the Basin.<\/p>\n

The spokeswoman said there are no plans for lift-served mountain biking, though A-Basin will be listening to rider demand. For now, A-Basin intends to run its trails as a cross-country system. Fuller also said most of the future trail network will be open to foot traffic.<\/p>\n

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