While we do not have a scheduled opening date, we try to open as soon as possible (typically in October) so that you can make the most out of your winter season. To hit this early opening, we start snowmaking as soon as possible, and the rest follows suit. If you’re curious about everything we do to get this place up and running, read more from our departments below! And remember to make the most out of your winter by snagging your ticket or pass today.
Snowmaking: Our snowmaking team is at the forefront of opening day prep. They’re up late at night and into the early mornings during October – and sometimes even as early as September. They track conditions to find and jump on weather windows of opportunity to blow snow. Before we even close for the summer, the snowmaking team is out doing maintenance to our fan gun and snowmaking equipment and improving our snowmaking infrastructure. From checking pumps, pipes, and more, snowmakers do everything to make sure our system is running effectively and efficiently. Being a snowmaker is serious, hard work, so don’t forget to #ThankASnowmaker.
Ski Patrol: Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol will be back in the saddle from October 2nd through October 5th in the team’s annual refresher. This is where every professional patroller on our staff comes together to refresh individual skills to maintain certifications for EMT-B and CO Blasters permit for Avalanche Control. They will also refresh skills regarding lift evacuation, extrication, trail work, communication, and leadership. ABSP told us to tell you, “Bring on the 23/24 season!”
Food & Beverage: Our restaurants have one of the biggest shifts in the shortest period of time between the summer wedding season and winter operations, from cleaning all the kitchens and dining areas to stocking inventory and prepping for events like Mug Club. On-mountain locations do all of this, but add the addition of getting everything up to 12,000+ ft. Our F&B team also reimagines each menu at each of our five dining locations every summer. Our chefs will research and test out trends, go to food shows, and find inspiration to make a fresh spin on our menus every season.
Lift Maintenance: An unsung hero of prepping the resort! Lift maintenance is busy all summer long, upkeeping our chairlifts to make sure they are open and safe to ride all winter long. This year, the day after we closed for summer operations, our lift maintenance team was out replacing the bearings on the bullwheel at the bottom of Black Mountain Express. To do this massive job, they have to de-tension the lift. This way, the haul rope can remain in place across all of the towers and the top terminal bullwheel while they take the rope off the bottom terminal bullwheel. Then, they lower the 5,000+ pound bullwheel to the ground, where they can actually remove and replace a very large set of bearings. Upon completion, the team reverses the process, putting the bullwheel back in place, the rope back on the bullwheel, and finally, reversing the de-tensioning process.
Believe it or not, that’s just scratching the surface of all the hard work that goes into this place. Shout out to all our staff that keep this place beautiful and functioning year-round. And we will see you all very soon!
