Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Guess who got mountain sickness AKA altitude poisoning?
THIS GUY.
It smote me reals good mister. And to be fair, I did everything wrong. Got off a 20hr flight from sea level, went straight to the highest ski resort in North America at the top of the Mile High City. Drank beers, hung out in hot tubs. Didn’t drink enough water. Charged hard for two days and forgot to eat breakfast or lunch because skiing. Buried whisky and cocktails. None of which is the mountain’s fault. And then, oh lawdy, I done got hit with God’s 3 wood. Took me two days to recover. So, travelers, take heed.
Why 4 stars, then? Because the mountain is damn awesome. High and white with runs up the wazoo. It’s windy, too, just the right amount of chaos to let you know that Nature still runs the show, no matter how many chairlifts we put in. Had a cracking day here tearing it up, and even though I paid a heavy price, it was worth it because I got a great story to tell for the rest of my life. You better believe I am gonna use it right up, too.

I ski a baron after keystone is closed. I love that there is place to ski until summer!
Today I ski with a friend and as usual the service was great as the portal help my friend.
It was easy to find parking and no line to get the ticket for my friend.
Great place to be on such beautiful day!
Anna A

Free parking next to the lifts. Great terrain and generally better conditions than any of its nearby neighbors. Decent fairly priced food at mid mountain and base. Scenery and vistas are among the best in Colorado. Ski school was extremely well run and convenient — I was able to get seven year daughter enrolled with rentals in 10 minutes. I’m a lifelong fan.

First time here at A-​basin. I’m a beginner skier so take that into account when you read this. We reserved a spot at the Beach! (not the beach I’m used to being from Cali, but this was fun) We parked our cars right on the snow, and were so close to the beginner’s area, that alone was worth it. We didn’t have to walk with skis and poles across resort areas to get to the mountain or lift (I’m looking at you Winter Park). There is a picnic style bench at every Beach spot and you can grill (bring your own grill with propane) and bring food and have lunch here. We loved it cause the kids could go up the lift and down the hill and we could watch them from the bench. Bring some chairs, and friend, start a camp fire, and your set!

A basin is a great mountain for locals and beginning and end of season. They stay open until June and there are always people hanging out down on the «beaches» drinking beers and sitting in lawn chairs. This is the mountain where you find people dressed as gapers everyday of the year, so come in costume for fun! Careful on the back side now to ski past the lift as its a hike back up!

the most amazing views of any co ski resort
lines are short, the prices are great! feel so lucky to have found a-​basin.

The last time I snowboarded was when I lived in southern CA. Comparing A Basin to Bear Mountain and Snow Summit in CA is like night and day. A Basin is FANTASTIC!
Here’s what I liked:
1. parking is really close to the resort. And it’s free.
2. everyone who works there that I encountered was extremely friendly and smiley.
3. the food is AWESOME and reasonably priced for a ski place
4. the lodge has nice seating
5. they have free wifi that actually works
6. the other skiers & boarders were nice people
A few more things to note: I live at 5400 feet in Broomfield and the base here is 11,000. I definitely felt it and it did not feel good. I had a really had time breathing whenever I exerted myself which was pretty much the entire time I was snowboarding. My husband and our friend also felt it, even though they’re in much better physical shape than I am. Just something to consider if you live at a lower elevation.
The restrooms were kinda gross, but I’ve never been to a ski place that had sparkling restrooms. There’s only so much that can be done when you’re dealing with snow & people tracking in dirt and wet stuff. No fault of A Basin, it’s just how it is.
The food options were SO GOOD. I’m talking a full espresso bar, an upstairs restaurant with bar, and a cafeteria style eatery too. I’m a vegetarian and rarely can I find anything besides a reheated Gardenburger at ski resorts. A Basin had A LOT of vegetarian options including a housemade veggie burger (it’s hard to get these at most restaurants!), mac and cheese, vegetarian chili, and tofu noodle or rice bowls. Plus sides like fries, grab and go fruit, etc. The espresso bar has soy milk too. The workers were so very nice. There wasn’t a long wait at all.
A full sandwich and fries cost about $ 11, which isn’t bad at all for a ski place! I paid close to $ 20 for something similar (and not at all tasty) back in CA. The cafeteria also has plenty of available water to quench your thirst, which is important at a high elevation.
I suggest visiting the 3^rd floor if you want to eat inside — it’s less chaotic up there. Free wifi, but I did not see any outlets for charging phones.
Had a great time here and will return next season. A Basin staff and management — you guys are doing a fantastic job! Thank you!

If you are looking for the TRUE Colorado ski experience, this is your spot. «Abay» has a great local vibe, including what people call The Beach which is the parking area right at the base of the mountain. Skier bring their grills and pups and tail gate throughout their ski days. Great mountain for any skill level of skier or snowboarder.

Hands down BEST place to snowboard in Colorado. Been going for 8 years now. A-​Basin is always less crowded, better prices on everything, and does not feel Disneyworld-​ish like some of the big resorts. Something for everyone. Great place to bring beginners! LOVE LOVE LOVE

As good as it gets in the area! The basement bar/​grill is my favorite. Visiting this area to ski, I «Yelped» my way to this terrific bar/​grill. Each time we’ve been here the beer/​spirits specials have been a spoiling experience. This is along with the «specials» on great food. A new one each night.
Tonight (Wed) was Burger night I had a Rob’s Burger, together with a side for $ 6.50! That is a half a pound of Angus beef, fried tobacco onions, ltm, and a choice of six sides!
There is, of course, a full menu of so many items it’s had to list them all. Seems like the most expensive item was about $ 17!
Do yourself a favor and visit the Arapahoe! Yum Yum!

Great Mountain but WATCH OUT while leaving your gear unattended. My Brand new Custom Flying V and Cartel Bindings were stolen while I was inside having lunch. Thieves Lurk. Watch out.

If I was rating the apres scene, I’d give it 5+ stars — bacon bloody mary and cold app bar (including E & W coast oysters, shrimps, scallops, tuna poke, etc). It doesn’t get much better. Oh, well, I guess it does if it’s a nice day and «the beach» is open — kegs and grills abound. Chill, not at all touristy, and way fun.
As far a the terrain, it’s high, and it gets damn windy at the top so be prepared. Unfortunately the day we visited was still pretty crunchy since there hadn’t been much new snow, so it made a few runs particularly treacherous, especially considering it was our first day out. With some fresh pow, I could see my opinion of the runs easily shifting to awesome.

This is one of my favorite places to ski, great staff, laid back locals vibe and is priced more reasonably than the other mountains.
Don’t expect Breckenridge or vail amenities, you ski here because there’s some great terrain, good powder conditions and less tourists.
I frequent the bars here and I don’t feel like I’m getting shaken down, it’s nice.
They frequently have events on the mtn and live bands on Saturdays.
Overall one of my favorites without having to drive half the day

Awesome mountain with great «mountain» food. You won’t find that touristy big mountain vibe here — you’ll find steep, challenging trails with some of the best views around. Less runs than say Breck or Vail, but the tickets are half the price and the terrain is well worth it.
Montezuma bowl and the glades below it are where it’s at. Great skiing.

I love the challenge of this mountain. It really has a little bit of everything. A good back bowl. Pallavicini is equal to KT 22 at squaw. Add a chill staff and a legendary après bar. Proud to call this home base.

Easy drive from Denver, affordable skiing, with great runs and CHARACTER. Chill, laid back day of skiing.

Wow– I love this ski area; however then I tried to use their services.
1– took a lesson which was terrible. The gentlemen who taught the private lessons, was I assume an accomplished skiier, but also was condescending and did not know how to teach. Always fun to spend over a hundred dollars to be patronized.
2– tried to buy a gift certificate for my brother who loves this area and is from out of town (meaning he cannot commit to dates)– good luck with that! There is no way to buy a gift certificate online that I can say (spent about 20 mins looking as this is a fairly typical thing for companies to offer) and then tried to call up to ask about this (and spent 15 mins on hold before giving up). We will go to Loveland. Thanks.
Great mountain, but perhaps work on the customer service.

Love this place, just wish the lodge was bigger or had more places to hang after snowboarding. The lodge can get too packed at times. I would give 5 stars, but the bathrooms are always so gross.

Of course you should ski at this locals’ favorite. It is a local favorite for a reason! Here is the thing: the food is awesome too!!! Chef Chris Rybak brings serious game to the mountain in terms of food.
Example: I am here for a free concert. I order corn on the cob. Do you think the corn on the cob is normal… some soggy corn chips and butter? Heck no! Chris Brown back roads this morning on the grill to give it flavor, and then accompanies it with Oaxaca sauce. I do not know what’s in that sauce but holy cow it’s like gourmet corn! Okay then I order a hot dog. You think its a normal hot dog? It’s one of the most delicious hot dogs I ever ate! You know… Handsome mustard onions peppers etc. I’m eating his BBQ — it’s off the charts. And I’ve had one of the best Bloody Mary’s that I’ve ever had outside of New Orleans! Don’t just come here for skiing, come here for the food! They have events going on all summer long that will please your palate as well as entertain you.

A-​Basin keeps growing on me. With one of the earliest opening dates and latest closing dates, you can aki here potential 9 – 10 months out of the year. It’s a skiers dream come true. Plus, A-​Basin has some difficult terrain to master making for fun days on the slopes. There is always a new run to try or a different way to shred through the trees.