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Henceroth’s advice for other NSAA members embark- groomer in The Beavers. “It’s something we’ve never had
ing on similar ski area boundary expansion projects? “Engage before at A-Basin: a wide-open challenging groomed blue
as early and as often as you can with all your stakeholders to run, with trees on each side of it, that rolls as it goes along.” Snow
find out what’s really important to them, because NEPA is a Isaac emphasized that the gladed areas in The Beavers
really complex process and can be really difficult. That’s not and the chutes in The Steep Gullies offers terrain the ski Makers
new or earth-shattering advice, but it’s important,” he said. area’s core guests have been clamoring for. “What little
“And then the flipside of that is that you want to really know, glading we did in The Beavers is really logical, really smart,
S S N O W M A K E R S . C
S N O W M A K E R S . C O MN O W M A K E R S . C O M O M
early on in the process, what are the core critical things that leaving the best lines out there without sacrificing that YOUR TOTAL
you need and where you can adjust, compromise, and collab- remote feel so that it really is like you’re skiing out in the
orate with the stakeholders to get there, so you know what’s forest,” she said.
worth falling on your sword over and what isn’t. We knew we
wanted a chairlift and we knew we wanted a couple of blue know what are the core critical things SNOWMAKING
trails, and we knew we wanted to bring The Steep Gullies that you need and where you can adjust,
under our avalanche mitigation program. We were willing compromise, and collaborate with the
to be flexible on just about everything else.” SOLUTION
The project was approved in 2016. Summer construc- stakeholders to get there.
tion began in 2017—clearing trails, building snow fences, —Alan Henceroth, coo, Arapahoe Basin
and installing a cable-based explosives delivery system for PROVIDER
avalanche mitigation and anchor points for fixed-line ski The new in-bounds terrain puts A-Basin on par with
patrol rescues in The Steep Gullies. Most of the terrain was Crested Butte and Telluride in terms of iconic steep terrain,
opened for in-bounds access during the 2017–18 season. according to Isaac. “We were fortunate to be able to tour
Construction continued this summer with the lift installa- some people in The Beavers and Steep Gullies last season—
tion, and the projected opening for the new lift-served industry folks, media, and other guests—and it’s been really
terrain is mid-December of this year. exciting to see people’s reactions to what’s back there for
Henceroth’s team has brought on an additional 25 ski intermediate skiers and riders, experts, and die-hards.”
patrollers over the past three years and built a new patrol Does Arapahoe Basin have any other terrain expan-
hut to help serve the terrain. There also will be additional sion projects on the horizon? Not in the foreseeable
training in high-angle and fixed-line rescue techniques as future, according to Henceroth. The ski area still has sev-
well as advanced high-angle avalanche mitigation techniques. eral western-access backcountry gates for guests looking
Tony Cammarata, A-Basin’s director of operations and ski for a lift-serviced out-of-bounds experience, he said. As for
patrol director, says patrollers performed several high-angle in-bounds projects, two chairlift replacements are slated for
rescues in The Steep Gullies terrain last season, and had 2020 along with ongoing improvements to the food and
previously assisted the local sheriff’s department and search beverage program, which is now the ski area’s second big-
and rescue teams there when it was backcountry terrain. gest income source, after lift ticket sales.
“It was a great plan to do the rollout over several years “If you haven’t been to the Basin in the last 10 or 12
because last season really gave us an opportunity to study years, you really should come visit us,” Henceroth said.
how our guests use the area, and gave our patrollers an “With the addition of Montezuma Bowl and now The
opportunity to practice using the new explosives delivery Beavers and Steep Gullies, there’s a lot of extraordinary ski-
system for avalanche mitigation and practice high-angle ing here. We’ve worked really hard to maintain our culture SMI PROVIDES TOTAL SNOWMAKING SOLUTIONS CHECK OUT WHAT’S NEW AT SMI
rescue techniques,” Cammarata said. “We added additional and vibe throughout these expansions, and Arapahoe Basin unique to your resort and concerns, such as custom
anchor points for fixed-line rescue based on what we is now one of the more extraordinary ski areas around. We engineering for retrofitting and expanding your
learned in that transition season last year.” get tremendous snow, we typically have an eight-month snowmaking, trail opening and priority strategy, or
In addition to helping spread out guests on the season, and we have a ton of great terrain to offer. You can modernizing your system. Partner our snowmaking
mountain, The Beavers and Steep Gullies adds several keep busy here for a long time.” expertise with SMI’s cutting-edge, energy efficient,
very different new terrain options for the ski area, accord- rugged products and industry leading service to
ing to Arapahoe Basin spokeswomen Leigh Hierholzer Colin Bane is a journalist and lifelong snowboarder based in provide a world-class long-term solution for your resort. SMARTPARTS ON BOARD GRIZZLY SUPER PUMA
and Adrienne Saia Isaac. (Since this interview, Isaac left Denver, Colo. He also works behind the scenes at X Games, BOOSTER
A-Basin to become director of marketing for NSAA.) Dew Tour, and other action sports events, and is a frequent LEARN MORE AT SNOWMAKERS.COM PUMP
“I love Loafer,” Hierholzer said of the new blue contributor to the NSAA Journal.

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38 | NSAA JOURNAL | EARLY WINTER 2018 S E R V I C E

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