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terrain has always been considered a part of the ski area, if Having a lift in The Beavers will have a positive impact
not physically or technically within the official boundar- on A-Basin’s overall operations because it will spread people
ies. It’s received a lot of backcountry out-of-bounds use over out on the mountain much more, Henceroth continued.
the years from people riding A-Basin’s chairlifts to access it— Another positive is that the patrol will now provide ava-
which is why it makes sense to include it in our boundaries. lanche mitigation on Steep Gullies—a rugged, gnarly area
But we also wanted to do it with a light touch. Everybody that has seen a number of avalanche accidents with back-
who works here wants to have great skiing, but we also want country users over the years.
to have as light an impact on the environment as possible.” “What I’m most proud of is that we’ve done it all with a
One of the ski industry’s most vigilant environmental really light touch,” Henceroth said. “We were able to elimi-
champions, A-Basin’s long list of sustainability initiatives nate, minimize, or mitigate nearly all of the environmental
includes employee and guest carpooling incentives, a impact issues that came up during the environmental impact
no-idling policy for all vehicles, and partnerships with local statement process and the public comment period. I think
conservation groups. And resort guests often voice their if this project had been designed in the 1960s we’d have cut
appreciation of those efforts, along with the no-frills skiing 10 times as many trees and been out there dozing trails with
and riding experience to be had. Located about an hour from a bulldozer and building a road. We didn’t do it that way.
Denver, A-Basin is a cult favorite of hard-core skiers/riders We found ways to have a softer impact wherever possible.”
from Colorado’s Front Range. Because of its high altitude—
13,050 feet at the summit of the East Wall—and north- now A-Basin fans will have even
facing slopes, the area opens early (in October) and stays more steep and deep acreage to
open well into the summer (some years, as late as July).
The views are seemingly infinite from its slopes, which explore, along with more options
border the Continental Divide. It is a skier’s mountain, for intermediates.
without any pretense.
And now, A-Basin fans will have even more steep and A-Basin made it a priority to consider feedback from
deep acreage to explore, along with more options for inter- environmental protection groups and wildlife advocates.
mediates. The terrain zone historically known as The Beavers, There were some outright objections about the project
previously accessed by a backcountry gate near the ski area’s during the approval process, primarily from skiers/boarders
summit, now features two newly cut blue runs—Davis and interested in preserving an authentic backcountry ski expe-
Loafer—as well as an above-timberline bowl skiing zone and rience just outside of the boundary. One of those groups,
more than a dozen black runs in lightly gladed tree zones. the Friends of Arapahoe Basin, took it a step further. On
This high-elevation terrain will be serviced by a new the morning of November 21, 2016, when the front page
Leitner-Poma fixed grip quad chairlift. At 4,100 feet long, of The Summit Daily News reported that the White River
with a vertical elevation gain of 1,500 feet and a carrying National Forest had issued its final approval for the expan-
capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour, The Beavers chairlift sion, a member of that organization was cited for stealing
is now the longest, with the most vertical rise, of any lift stacks of the free newspaper as it was distributed around the
at the area. neighboring mountain communities near Arapahoe Basin.
The Steep Gullies comprises five expert-only, double-black Henceroth is diplomatic in his recollection of the event.
diamond, steep-angle chutes (and two other double black “There were definitely some heated moments in all of this,”
diamond runs) that will still require a 20- to 30-minute hike he said. “With any project like this you get people with
out to return the main base area. some strong feelings.”
“I think there are things to be excited about on so many Early in the process Henceroth partnered with the
levels,” said Henceroth. “Beavers and Steep Gullies together SE Group (based in nearby Frisco and also an NSAA
are really a great chunk of terrain, primarily north-facing, supplier member) to respond to concerns and help
and get a lot of snow because it’s favored really well for the navigate the planning and permitting process, especially
direction the storms roll in on us. The skiing and riding is with regard to the National Environmental Policy Act
just over-the-top good. We had most of this terrain open (NEPA) requirements.
last season on a hiking basis, so people got to sample it, and “It helped that, by the time we came to working with the
of course it’s been a popular lift-accessed backcountry zone SE Group on our master development plan, we had a good
among some of our guests all along.” idea [of what we wanted] already,” Henceroth said, noting

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