A-Basin’s Montezuma Bowl Preview

Arapahoe Basin will open Montezuma Bowl, adding 400 acres of intermediate and advanced skiing and riding next season. On Friday I was fortunate enough to receive a guided tour of the new area making a few turns along the way.

As we scoped out the new terrain from the top of Lenawee Mountain Lift, I could see there will be plenty of blue, black and double black runs - 34 in all.

The ridgeline to skier’s right offers cornices and chutes with good wind-loading and a steep pitch. Skier’s left is a wide open bowl. I watched two A-Basin employees give it a test run. By the look of the smiles on their faces, I’d say it passed.

Because I’m a tree guy, I was really excited by the glades near the bottom of the bowl. What they are calling the Hike Back terrain features great glades with good spacing. As you can guess by the name, upon completion, there is a short hike back up to the bottom of the lift, offering those great runs to those who are willing to work a little for it.

After the Montezuma Bowl tour, my crew headed over to Black Mountain Lodge for a bite to eat. Located at the top of Exhibition Lift, the lodge just opened last week, and, I must say, is a perfect fit for the Basin - not too big, not to fancy, plenty of windows, good food, a welcome addition that resonates the character and personality of The Legend.