All good things must come to an end eventually. The same can be said of the lift-served ski season in Colorado. Arapahoe Basin in Summit County, Colorado is going to close with a bang on the Fourth of July.
The snow has been holding up very well due to cool nights up there and an extremely deep snowpack leftover from winter. It was nice to see 6 inches of fresh snow this past week but it has long since melted away.
Arapahoe Basin will be open the remainder of this weekend and will be open July 1,2,3 and 4. The lift hours are 8:30 to 2:30 pm. Lift tickets are $39. A-Basin passes from the 2010-11 season are still valid.
I've been going up on select weekend days with a Lenz Sport Launch and a Lenz Sport Alpine Brawler for the past month. The riding is really good but the bare patches are starting to peek through and runs are being closed or narrowed to save the snow. I'm taking this weekend off due to a reckless snowboarder plowing into me last weekend.
After A-Basin closes, one can still always go skibiking in the Colorado backcountry. Hiking St Mary's glacier is a summer tradition. The snow can get rather suncuppy up there though.
Get out and enjoy the last days of winter sport activities. The heat of summer is here.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Showing posts with label skibike arapahoe basin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skibike arapahoe basin. Show all posts
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Skibiking at A-Basin on Friday June 3, 2011
I went skibiking up at A-Basin on Friday to take a break after working hard the past week. Conditions are still excellent up there. Spring has arrived and the snow is now beginning to melt.
After this Sunday, A-Basin will be open for a few more weekends. If the meltdown is slow, they may keep open till July 4. It's a wait and see at this point.
A-Basin has started to shut parts of the mountain down. Pali is closed as is the beginner terrain and lift. Montezuma Bowl is closed after this Sunday.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
After this Sunday, A-Basin will be open for a few more weekends. If the meltdown is slow, they may keep open till July 4. It's a wait and see at this point.
A-Basin has started to shut parts of the mountain down. Pali is closed as is the beginner terrain and lift. Montezuma Bowl is closed after this Sunday.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Where to find lift-served skibiking in Colorado in June
Lift-served skibiking goes into June in Colorado. Earning your turns doesn't have to be the only option.
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (or A-Basin to locals) is open until June 5, 2011 this ski season. The new Black Mountain Express chairlift makes unloading so much easier too. Head over to the Lenawee lift after unloading to access the upper mountain, East Wall, and Montezuma Bowl.
A-Basin is an extremely skibike-friendly ski area. Ski bikes are allowed in the terrain parks and homemade skibikes are also welcome. A-Basin does require that all skibikes be equipped with leashes and are used on the chairlift.
If getting off the fixed-grip chair lifts presents a problem, you can signal the liftie to slow the lift down. They'd rather slow it down than have you fall off while unloading. Be mindful of punching holes in their ramp when unloading though. Making extra work for lifties is not the way to win friends or access to other ski resorts.
A-Basin doesn't offer skibike rentals but there is a local guy who rents them. Make arrangements in advance if you need a bike. The Brenter reps were at A-Basin recently and did leave a Brenter C6 for demo's. I don't have any contact information for using those skibikes.
Just because the weather is warming up along the Front Range that doesn't mean the skibike season is over. The 2010-11 ski season isn't over yet. Lots of snow fell this ski season in Colorado. It's still falling too.
Photo by Devin Lenz
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area (or A-Basin to locals) is open until June 5, 2011 this ski season. The new Black Mountain Express chairlift makes unloading so much easier too. Head over to the Lenawee lift after unloading to access the upper mountain, East Wall, and Montezuma Bowl.
A-Basin is an extremely skibike-friendly ski area. Ski bikes are allowed in the terrain parks and homemade skibikes are also welcome. A-Basin does require that all skibikes be equipped with leashes and are used on the chairlift.
If getting off the fixed-grip chair lifts presents a problem, you can signal the liftie to slow the lift down. They'd rather slow it down than have you fall off while unloading. Be mindful of punching holes in their ramp when unloading though. Making extra work for lifties is not the way to win friends or access to other ski resorts.
A-Basin doesn't offer skibike rentals but there is a local guy who rents them. Make arrangements in advance if you need a bike. The Brenter reps were at A-Basin recently and did leave a Brenter C6 for demo's. I don't have any contact information for using those skibikes.
Just because the weather is warming up along the Front Range that doesn't mean the skibike season is over. The 2010-11 ski season isn't over yet. Lots of snow fell this ski season in Colorado. It's still falling too.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Skibikes love the moguls, trees, terrain parks, jumps, and much more
Most people out on the slopes are so unfamiliar with skibikes that they don't understand what they are capable of unless they see it for themselves. A common misconception that I find is that 'skibkes are only ridden on green slopes'. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Just riding skibkes on easy green ski slopes gets boring pretty quickly. Most skibikers transition to other terrain once they are solid in their stopping and weight placement skills.
In 2007, Team Lenz Sport headed into the moguls, jumps, and terrain parks at Winter Park Resort and Arapahoe Basin. The video below shows how they fared. After watching it, you'll realize skibiking offers the same level abilities as skiing and snowboarding.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Just riding skibkes on easy green ski slopes gets boring pretty quickly. Most skibikers transition to other terrain once they are solid in their stopping and weight placement skills.
In 2007, Team Lenz Sport headed into the moguls, jumps, and terrain parks at Winter Park Resort and Arapahoe Basin. The video below shows how they fared. After watching it, you'll realize skibiking offers the same level abilities as skiing and snowboarding.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Skibike video at Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
While A-Basin doesn't rent ski bikes or teach skibiking, they are very skibike friendly. Anything you want to hit is fair game as long as it isn't roped off. The terrain parks are open to skibikers too.
The new lift at the base area makes things much easier than the old fixed grip Exhibition chair lift. If you don't have your exit strategy worked out for the upper lifts, the lifties don't mind slowing it down. Those fixed grip chair lifts are kinda wacky and they really don't like holes punched in their ramps either.
This video is by Lenz Sport Skibikes from back in 2007. The frames have changed and are now even more chair lift friendly. The skibike riding boundaries have moved on considerably too.
A blast from the past - skibiking at Arapahoe Basin.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
The new lift at the base area makes things much easier than the old fixed grip Exhibition chair lift. If you don't have your exit strategy worked out for the upper lifts, the lifties don't mind slowing it down. Those fixed grip chair lifts are kinda wacky and they really don't like holes punched in their ramps either.
This video is by Lenz Sport Skibikes from back in 2007. The frames have changed and are now even more chair lift friendly. The skibike riding boundaries have moved on considerably too.
A blast from the past - skibiking at Arapahoe Basin.
© 2011 G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to G. Kunkel and A Colorado Skibiker Goes Skibiking with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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