First day at Arapahoe Basin

phone pics.

A Basin is definitely one of my favorite mountains in the United States. A few years back I couldn't afford a Ski Pass in time and my buddy Craig came out for a month to hike the prestigious Loveland Pass and A-Basin backcountry. If you stay in bounds your not necessarily going to be impressed, but the prize comes from getting into the dangerous stuff. I remember at the end of season last year 3 feet of fresh powder, courtesy of the Snow Gods, provided one of the best days at A Basin I've ever had. We skied out of bounds and had to hitchhike back with an ABay local, whom I was considerably nervous might get us in trouble for not having the right Avalanche Gear. Luckily the bowl sitting on his armrest reassured me he was in a relaxed state of mind. He was adamant about us getting the right gear because he had friends that died in the same conditions... we agreed- but sometimes the risk is worth the reward! One of the best parts of that day was when Craig and I were sitting above a perfect line with two small cliff jumps adjacent from one another. Craig takes off and makes the line look like a Pollard shoot (minus the 50 foot cliffs), so I quickly track the same line. As I get to the second rock cliff the snow had been skied off and I dishevel my body like a Red Bull Flugtag contestant into the air. Craig thought I was doing some crazy cork 360, so that made my day. Anyways, I have a feeling the Snow Lords will be generous this year. Happy Season!