{"id":807851,"date":"2020-05-27T16:22:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T22:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=384008"},"modified":"2020-05-28T07:17:46","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T13:17:46","slug":"arapahoe-basin-ski-area-hosts-second-opening-day-of-the-season-after-covid-19-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/arapahoe-basin-ski-area-hosts-second-opening-day-of-the-season-after-covid-19-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Arapahoe Basin Ski Area hosts second opening day of the season after COVID-19 shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Finley Anderson of Evergreen, Colorado, wears a surgical mask while waiting for Arapahoe Basin to open to the public on Wednesday, May 27. After more than a two month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, A-Basin was granted a variance and allowed to re-open to through the use of a lottery system that allows up to 600 skiers or riders per day.<\/strong>
Jason Connolly \/ jconnolly@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

ARAPAHOE BASIN SKI AREA \u2014 It would seem Arapahoe Basin Ski Area has successfully pulled off a safe reopening in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

The lucky skiers and snowboarders who won Tuesday night\u2019s reservation raffle<\/a> filed in around 8 a.m. donning ski buffs and masks over their faces. The first riders walked across a pathway through the grass, which was exposed on a warm May day, up to a table set up with a plexiglass shield to have their tickets scanned. They stepped up onto the snow, and by 8:20 a.m., the first chair was off. <\/p>\n

While reopening day was a momentous occasion \u2014 A-Basin being one of only a few ski areas in the country to reopen following widespread shutdowns from the novel coronavirus \u2014 the mood of skiers and snowboarders was calm from the moment they strolled into the base area. Reopening day didn\u2019t come with the usual crowds, lines, high energy and pushing. <\/p>\n

Of course, much of this was intentional. The ski area could bring in only 600 skiers and snowboarders for the day and isn\u2019t allowing the tailgating and partying that often accompanies late spring skiing. Once skiers and snowboarders made their way up the Black Mountain Express chairlift, they dispersed across the mountain onto the 20 open runs and three chairlifts<\/a>. One skier compared the experience to being at a private ski area. <\/p>\n

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