Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

Arapahoe Basin sits on the Continental Divide in Summit County, Colorado, with a summit elevation of 13,050 feet that makes it one of the highest publicly accessible ski areas in North America. The altitude ensures excellent snow quality and a season that regularly extends well past the closing dates of neighboring resorts — A-Basin often stays open into June and occasionally into July.

The terrain is built for intermediate to expert skiers. The East Wall offers the resort's most demanding lines — above-treeline chutes and steep pitches accessed via the Black Mountain Express. Montezuma Bowl opens the upper alpine to wide, open powder skiing. The Beavers provide challenging tree skiing, and the Steep Gullies add technical lines across the face. Beginner and intermediate terrain fills the lower mountain around the main base.

What sets A-Basin apart from its Summit County neighbors is what it hasn't become: there's no base village, no slope-side hotel, no chairlift-adjacent shopping. The famous tailgate parties in the parking lot on sunny spring days have been a tradition for decades — a reflection of a ski area culture that prioritizes skiing above everything else. Navigate the mountain with the Arapahoe Basin Mountain Map app for interactive trail maps and real-time lift status.