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Liam Doran/Arapahoe Basin The Beavers terrain, renowned for
prime snow conditions and stunning
views of the Ten Mile Range.

Introducing

The Beavers & The Steep Gullies

Arapahoe Basin’s sensitive approach to expansion

brings phenomenal terrain in bounds

... B Y C OLIN BANE ...

he Canada lynx is a solitary, independent creature that before the 2017–18 season, when they were opened as
leaves a light footprint on its habitat. The same could in-bounds hike-to and hike-out terrain without lift service.
Tbe said of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Summit County, The resort’s COO, Alan Henceroth, says the new terrain
Colo. Preservation of the lynx’s habitat, in fact, was a major zones are the result of years of careful planning, coordinating
consideration in how the ski area went about pursuing its with various stakeholders, and making thoughtful compro-
much-heralded terrain expansion, which opens this season. mises to minimize and mitigate impacts on wetlands and
Arapahoe Basin is increasing its lift-served in-bounds wildlife habitat, particularly the Canada lynx habitat.
skiable terrain by about 50 percent for 2018-19 with its “This expansion has been brewing for a long, long time,
new Beavers chairlift, serving 468 acres of terrain in two going all the way back to the first A-Basin trail maps in the
areas known as The Beavers and The Steep Gullies. These 1940s and 50s and the founders’ original vision for the place
areas had been outside of the ski area’s official boundary as far back as the opening in 1946,” Henceroth said. “The

34 | NSAA JOURNAL | EARLY WINTER 2018