A-Basin Opens on Wednesday
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bob
May 25, 2020 (edited May 25, 2020)
Member since 04/15/2008 🔗
755 posts

It will provide a maximum of 600 skiers/day the opprtunity to get on snow. Slots avilable via reservtion only: 570 of those reserved for pass holders and a whopping 30 are available for day ticket purchase.

 

Black Mountain Express, Lenawii and Pali lifts will run. Pali is surprising given the history of late season slush slides off the lift.

Rental lodging remains shut down in Summit County, so even if you are lucky enugh to score a reservation, you have to figure out where you plan to lay your head at night.

 

Sounds risky for any non-local

JimK - DCSki Columnist
May 25, 2020 (edited May 25, 2020)
Member since 01/14/2004 🔗
2,964 posts

From what I am hearing the only real skiing will be off Lenawee chair.  The others will be for getting you up to that part of the mountain.  I am tempted to drive over for a couple days from SLC (7 hrs), but afraid I'd need unattainable luck to score two consecutive day tickets to make a quick visit feasible.  Considering Beartooth Basin early June instead.

Also, at A-Basin no food served and no tailgating allowed.  I guess that means everybody for lunch eats a PBJ sandwich out of their pocket on the chair lift?  I have experience with that:-)

Denis - DCSki Supporter 
May 25, 2020 (edited May 25, 2020)
Member since 07/12/2004 🔗
2,337 posts

I went to Beartooth Basin 2 years ago.  Wound up looking at it and not skiing it.  Given the state of my knees and age, I didn't feel confident about the entrance exam.  I did find and ski a friendlier nearby snowfield.  While ok on a 40+ degree slope, I'm not up to mandatory air at the top.   I believe this could be avoided by arriving as soon as possible after the season opens, scheduled for June 1 this year.  It was late June and all the easy drop in points were melted out.  The skiing is at the top of Beartooth Pass at 11,000 feet.  The lift is an old fashioned poma operated by Red Lodge ski Area.  Winter avalanches preclude a permanent installation so it is set up fresh each year.  The Beartooth Highway is the most spectacular mountain road I have ever driven and well worth the trip for that alone.  Yellowstone is at the west end of the highway.

https://beartoothbasin.com/ 

If you google Beartooth basin there is a page of spectacular images.

marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
May 25, 2020
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,246 posts

JimK wrote:

From what I am hearing the only real skiing will be off Lenawee chair.  The others will be for getting you up to that part of the mountain.  I am tempted to drive over for a couple days from SLC (7 hrs), but afraid I'd need unattainable luck to score two consecutive day tickets to make a quick visit feasible.  Considering Beartooth Basin early June instead.

Also, at A-Basin no food served and no tailgating allowed.  I guess that means everybody for lunch eats a PBJ sandwich out of their pocket on the chair lift?  I have experience with that:-)

Looks like temps could be in the high 50s.  In that case, by 1:00 it may will be time to call it a day.  So a snack on a lift should be enough to hold out until a late lunch after leaving the A-Basin parking lot.

Day tickets will probably be gone in the first 60 seconds.  Seems to be how fast 30 boarding passes for a Southwest flight are snapped up 24 hours before departure. ;-)

bob
May 27, 2020
Member since 04/15/2008 🔗
755 posts
marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
May 27, 2020
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,246 posts

For those on Facebook, there are videos from today on the Summit Daily News FB Page.  One was taken as the first people checked in.  Another shows snow conditions from the top.  Looked pretty nice!

bob
June 5, 2020
Member since 04/15/2008 🔗
755 posts

And A-Basin will close on Sunday June 7 - having been open a whopping 12 days.

 

The snow is about gone.

marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
June 7, 2020 (edited June 7, 2020)
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,246 posts

For a few pics of A-Basin during the re-opening:

https://www.coloradoski.com/blog/scenes-basin-reopening

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14229&sid=2154c4b076d98b7da3eb7fb79e9e862d

marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
June 9, 2020
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,246 posts

A trip report by a Ski Diva that was finally able to get a reservation after several attempts.  She skied at A-Basin on June 1.

https://www.theskidiva.com/pandemic-skiing-at-a-basin-what-was-it-like-a-ski-diva-fills-us-in/

Vermont
June 10, 2020
Member since 12/26/2019 🔗
174 posts

marzNC wrote:

A trip report by a Ski Diva that was finally able to get a reservation after several attempts.  She skied at A-Basin on June 1.

https://www.theskidiva.com/pandemic-skiing-at-a-basin-what-was-it-like-a-ski-diva-fills-us-in/

Nice! Is she an Opera singer?

marzNC - DCSki Supporter 
June 11, 2020
Member since 12/10/2008 🔗
3,246 posts

Vermont wrote:

marzNC wrote:

A trip report by a Ski Diva that was finally able to get a reservation after several attempts.  She skied at A-Basin on June 1.

https://www.theskidiva.com/pandemic-skiing-at-a-basin-what-was-it-like-a-ski-diva-fills-us-in/

Nice! Is she an Opera singer?

Ah . . . nope, just a ski nut.  Happens to be one who I've met in person when we were both at Taos a few years ago.  She created SlopeSquad for tracking ski days a while back.  She and her husband are originally from the east coast.

TheSkiDiva is an online ski forum for women only that's been around for close to 15 years.  Mostly N. American skiers but also has Ski Divas from other continents.  Most of my trips out west involve meeting up with at least one Ski Diva at some point, both travelers and locals.

Ski and Tell

Snowcat got your tongue?

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