[All photos courtesy of Barclay Idsal | UnofficialNetworks.com]
With resorts across the country calling it quits for the season, Arapahoe Basin continues to deliver the goods.
On Saturday, I drove down from Steamboat to find ridiculously good coverage after 11″ fell on the Summit County ski area earlier in the week. That snow combined with cold temperatures has pushed back the annual flooding of the snowpack and the skiing is great right now with everything from Pali to the East Wall open for the time being.
Related:Â Colorado’s Snowpack Is 124% Of Its Average | A-Basin Re-Opens Terrain
After arriving at 10am, I proceeded to lap Pali three laps. The bump skiing on Pali Face was amazing and the abundance of natural hits continues to cover the lift line. After paying homage to the recently re-opened Pali, I headed to Black Mountain Express, where I skied a couple of Exhibition laps. Like Pali, Exhibition was full of slushy bumps. After getting my bump fix, I hopped on the Lewanee lift and headed for the top.
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From the top, I hiked up the East Wall ridge and scored my best runs of the day. While First Notch is closed (and for good reason), Patrol has surprisingly kept Second Notch open. The entrance to Second Notch includes down climbing through some rocks but once in the chute, the snow was incredible for Mid-May.
After a couple laps on the East Wall, I headed back to Pali for one last run before heading down to Denver for the weekend. All in all, you can’t ask for better resort skiing in the month of May and with a winter weather advisory currently in effect, things are just getting better at the Basin!
Related:Â Up To 2 Feet Of Snow For Parts Of Colorado This Week!