Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Reviews

Expert terrain is fun but intermediate terrain is boring with lots of short runs. Crowded on weekends with plenty of rude behaviors. Can be fun on a weekday though.

Visited last week of March. It snowed all day.
Fun place to ski great views.

One of the best places to ski! Great local vibe and with the added terrain this place is greatness!!

Go prepared, due to the altitude it can be cold and windy, a small price to pay for advanced skiers seeking the Rockies white Champaign on advanced terrain.

Love this ski area, particularly good for uphillers with their out of hours access.

Always hit A-Basin during the spring but must try during the winter.

This review is more about volunteer guides Nathan and Larry than anything else in the Bay.
Those two were the most fun, generous and hospitable gentleman I've met out on any mountain. I'm a beginner skier, and they were so forthcoming with any information they could share to make my experience better. We skied together briefly, and they were very encouraging.
I couldn't begin to understand how a resort manages to keep such great talent, but whatever you do, keep these guys!

Thanks guys! Wish we could have chatted longer.. hope to see ya out there again!

One of the best days in our life! First time skiers learn within few hours with the lessons provided by the resort and had a fantastic epic week.

Came here for the early season. Only 2 runs open, but safety was seriously lacking. Crowded runs obviously, but people, snowboarders mainly, out of control, speeding, jumping over the slow signs and knocking people over and many very near misses. My wife was terrified, I was actually knocked over. There were virtually no staff on the hill to control these idiots. I would avoid until the whole mountain is open and certainly be wary if you have kids.

Mind the fact it was the first day they have opened. The service for getting you pass verified was a rather clunky. However they did issue us day passes for getting around it. Sheer ID has really made it difficult for service members to get the right pass. I hope they get this fixed next season it was rather aggravating getting the emails pulled up to show I was verified and then they still couldnt really help. I love abasin and very much dislike Sheer ID.

Best skiing closest to front range. Pali, Beavers, Alleys, & east wall my favorite hangouts!

Shred your face off on Pallavicini. Not much beginner terrain here and parking is limited but the laid-back vibe can't be beat.

Let me start this review by stating that it's not a review of only the mountain and overall skiing, but of the kids center staff, ski patrol and their customer service. So let me just state that per my husband's experience the mountain was great fun, not crowded, and snow conditions were perfect.

Ok, so our experience at A Basin starts on a Monday December 28th 2015 when we took our 3 year old daughter for her first time ever for ski classes. I am 7+ months pregnant and I accompanied hubby and daughter on this day trip from Denver simply because it was her first time skiing.

We had our daughter booked for full day classes. We sent her off at 10AM when classes started. Hubby went off skiing. I went inside the lounge area to chill. About 1 hour into it, I started having altitude sickness and had to call/ask for the ski patrol as I was about to pass out. They got to me in less then 3 minutes and helped me stabilize. I was then escorted by about 4 patrols to the first aid station and was very well treated the entire time I was under their care. Unfortunately to fix my problem they recommended us to go down the mountain to normal Denver altitude. Without hesitation, the main ski patrol in charge (Sean C.) told us that he would talk to guest services and to the kids center to get us a make it right voucher.

Once we got down the mountain back home in Denver, we called guest services to reschedule my daughters class. Husband spoke to Jenn H. who was a delight and extremely helpful and patient in trying to reschedule the class. She told him she would follow up the next morning and that he would hear from her no later than 8AM either from her or Rick L from the Kids Center. I got an email from Rick the next morning instructing me what to do to reschedule her classes, and I did.

We had our make it right sessions on January 1st 2016 and everything was a breeze. Our daughter had some separation anxiety but we would like to thank Kate, the assistant teacher, who spent the day with her trying to make her feel better, and teach her the basics. By the end of the day, our daughter and Kate were buddies.

This is the kind of experience one can hope for and it's really a delight when everything happens as it should. We'd like to thank everyone who helped us navigate through these issues hassle free and for going above and beyond to make our experience at A-Basin a pleasurable one.

Definitely going back next year to enjoy the mountain! Thanks A Basin!

A really great place.Superb skiing.Really good people in fact I would say the best I have met in a lifetime.I live in England but will soon be visiting again

Best high terrain option in Dillon, CO area. Not crowded, short lines, excellent runs for beginners to extremists. Came back for another full day it was that good. Picture below is the Montezuma Bowl around lunchtime on a holiday weekend.

Beautiful area. Nice shops. They had live music.

If you want to do the disc golf course, you better be in the best shape. Olympic style.

Are you bored with the standard routine at the ski resort? Drive too long, pay too much for parking and lunch, and spend hours in lift lines. Abasin looks to buck the norms of the modern ski resort. Here the lift line is a party and you're almost disappointed you have to leave until the next lap. The skiing ain't so bad either, whether you want to take that hero line down the east wall or cruise laps between beers, it's got something for everyone. Just don't forget to wear the most outrageous ski gear you have.

Great place to ski or snowboard. A-basin is much smaller than Keystone and from what I understand attracts more locals. The snow at A-basin after it hadn't snowed for almost a week was considerably better at A-basin then Keystone.

Phenomenal hill. If your a flatlander like myself plan for the altitude change with water and rest. Slopes were extremely fun to ride as a snowboarder and staff were beyond friendly. Already planning my next trip, well worth the lift ticket price.

Bummer that they aren't on the Epic Pass anymore. I will miss u, A-Basin.

Great skiing on June 23rd. They always work hard to keep the season going!

One of my favorite ski areas. But what is with the early season lift lines? Doesn't everyone know there are other ski areas open now??!? At least the 6th Alley Bar has some good drinks when the lift lines are too long.

Terrain you just cant find anywhere else in a laid back atmosphere perfect for those who search for the extreme

This ski hill is a time capsule from the 80s. Fun live music after skiing. The drive up to the mountain is incredible. Nothing beats the view. We usually do one day here and one day at Keystone since it is so close.

Friendly staff, we had a great time on the ropes course and enjoyed a delicious lunch at the restaurant. Beautiful views too!

One of the closest to Denver, first to open and last to close!

Amazing resort! Very high above the tree lines and tons of snow. If you're looking for a good place to ski without all the fluff, A-Basin is the place to go.

The ski area itself is great-- the terrain is big, the lifts are fast, and I never felt unsafe during my trip.

The problem was with the ticket office and instructors.

DISCLAIMER: My experience was on a busy holiday weekend, and probably shows a worst-case experience of most skiers.

I purchased a lift ticket/lesson combo online through A-Basin's website, but due to printer issues I was not able to print out my confirmation page. I did have the e-mail, however, so I wasn't overly concerned.

When I arrived on the mountain, I found what I should have expected, given that A-Basin is one of the more remote resorts-- that Verizon has no service at all there. I was unable to load up the e-mail showing my ticket and lesson combo. After waiting through the ticket line to try and see if the ticket office could look up my purchase, they told me that they could not, but should be able to help me if I could download my confirmation e-mail. Fortunately, the lodge had wireless access and my phone had a charge, so I headed over there to get my e-mail up.

The WiFi network, however, was amazingly slow. To sign in to my e-mail account and pull up the email took me over twenty minutes.

E-mail in hand, I headed back to the ticket office again, and waited another 20 minutes in line. I gave my e-mail to a different associate, who immediately directed me to the rental/lesson office (a building away). Over there I waited another 20 minutes before finally getting my pass and lesson information.

From the time I got on the mountain to the time I got my pass was more than an hour, and took three trips through line.

The lesson itself was a group lesson that was nothing special to speak of. The class was about 11 people, taught by a single instructor who disappeared about an hour and forty-five minutes into a two-hour class, after getting the class onto the lifts on the bunny hill.

The bottom line? If you go to A-Basin, expect great terrain and speedy lifts. Do not expect world-class customer services from the ticket office, or skilled, committed lessons from the instructors.

And remember to print out your confirmation e-mail beforehand.

A huge ski resort, and good lessons. We went during a peak time and had to roam around 1 hour just to find parking spot.

Amazing all around, great prices, incredible runs, gorgeous mountain, nice staff. Got a lesson from Sean (great guy) my first day ever skiing and was crushing blues by day 3. You won t regret coming here.

A basin is a one of a kind ski area. Love that you can ski right from your car to the alpine!

Easy to get to location. Minimal lines on weekends, great staff

Awesome ski area for experienced skiers and boarders. Terrain is mainly intermediate to expert with plenty of available runs, great food, and entertainment. Due to its location this ski area is generally one of the first to open and the last to close. Not uncommon to be able to ski here into June.

Small but fun and not burden by the resort atmosphere that other mountains have. Come here to ski, have fun and enjoy others who have come here for the same.

Great long wide groomed runs. We were there for the new year so not much snow. It was the best mountain around, as we also skied Vail and Breck. No Bowls were open on any of the three mountains to compare.

Will ski here again, beware though bc of location only att phones work but they do have free wifi.

Great old school style area, with all the perks of an up to date ski area. It's called The legend for a reason! Higher altitude and snow most of the day didn't hurt either!

Great Area, Close to Denver with expansive open terrain, a skiers paradise

The most local and relaxed place in Summit Co. with the best terrain and the best bloody mary's!

A Basin is exactly where you want to be on a powder day. Also great for those spring skiing days when you want to do a little tailgating too. The parking lot is super close. The resort itself is very small so as far as terrain goes it can be limiting. A-Basin consistently opens early and closes late but if other resorts are not open expect LONG LIFT LINES.

We came on Nov 6th. Top to bottom was open and it was FANTASTIC skiing!! Burgers were amazing, too. Love this mtn!

Excellent resort but it's really geared to advanced and expert riders. This is not the best destination for family trips. Huge terrain in some places, good selection of mogul trails, and excellent tree skiing (especially in the Beavers terrain). Due to A-Basin's location and difficulty it keeps some of the crowds away and is much less crowded than a lot of Summit County.

Experts will love East Wall, the Beavers, and anything of the Pali lift. The Steep Gullies are a blast and are some of Colorado's steepest in-bounds runs.

Amenities are ok, but that's not the point of A-Basin. The vibe/attitude and mix of expert boarders and skiers makes it a unique place to be in CO. Highly recommend for any advanced rider. For a novice or intermediate rider, maybe wait till you think you can handle something more intense.

Gorgeous overlook. We visited when there was tons of snow. It was epic.

Great place to ski, eat, and enjoy concerts and festivals. Many new upgrades and activities coming this year.

Amazing. The area was beautiful the ski patrol and lift managers were incredibly kind and cool. One of the best places to ski in Colorado.

Great place to spend the day. Short drive from Denver and great places to see along the way. Wish there were more green runs.

I was nervous going skiing here because I read that it was great for experts (and I am no expert), but I was pleasantly surprised and totally loved my day there. This mountain has shorter runs than your bigger "Colorado skiing" resorts, but you can't beat the price and the skiing is still amazing . The only reason I gave 4 stars is because I missed the really long runs that you can find at other places. That being said, it's big enough that you won't hit every single run, even if you ski the full day. I booked my tickets online, but on the day that we were meant to go, my boyfriend had a bad cold and didn't want to come. Without me even asking, they gave a full refund for his ticket. MAJOR THANKS TO THEIR TICKET COUNTER STAFF!

Great local ski resort. Very happy with the new terrain and lift.

Had a great trip here. Last visit was nearly 20 years ago. Same awesome mountain and experience. Family friendly and safe.

Great time and a wonderful ski resort. Almost everyone skiiing there was from Colorado. Really had a good time. This is silly but I loved the fun sofa fountain with incredible flavors.

Beautiful area. Went during the summer and used the lifts for hiking, really good option if you have visitors from lower elevations wanting to see the mountains.

A-basin is a really fun place to ski. Montezuma Bowl still has a lot of snow and skiing in the trees there is still fun. Pallavicini is still in descent condition as well. BBQ at Black Mountain Lodge is spectacular and a good value. There is live music on Saturdays as well.

They just had an outbreak of mumps and apparently don t require their employees to vaccinate now who knows how large the epidemic is. Don t take your children even if they are bc the herd immunity is probably not sufficient to stop it from spreading. Darn wooks

Its sucks ass. Go to Keystone instead. The drinks there are smaller and more expensive. AND there's a lot more tourists and bone heads. Keystone FTW!

A-Basin can get very crowded quickly. The altitude is not for the faint of heart or those who are afraid of heights. This place really challenges ones mindset and skills. Really cool place and fairly priced.

I found a lot of stuff to ski for an intermediate skier who wants a good challenge but wants to avoid the really hard stuff, which there is plenty of. Loafer was long ungroomed blue that was a lot of fun. Ramrod is unforgiving but gives you a side path to avoid the moguls if you are getting destroyed. There are runs from the top that are fast, smooth and wide open

Awesome place to board or ski. A little dangerous driving to, with few guard rails on the way and sheer drops. Icy roads make sure your tires are good and 4wd or Awd is best. The staff was awesome and fun and helpful. Bamma is the best for tips! YOGA!

For professional skiers, this is the place. For people like me who barely ski twice in a year and isnt used to the 10,000 - 12,600 foot elevation, it's a bit too much for me, who lives at 1,500ft. When there's wind, it really fricken blows. It'll cut right through the layers you have on. There's so little oxygen up at the top, I just got off the ski lift and I was already out of breath. So busy around the weekends that you have to wait 45 min+ in line at the base of the mountain...and it was Christmas break so that didnt help.

Great ride up the resort to Lenawee trail which we rode down to Keystone.