Arapahoe Basin has released its new draft Master Development Plan (MDP), designing a path into the future but not guaranteeing any of the proposed upgrades.
The Master Development Plan includes a host of upgrades focused on guest and employee experience as well as guest and employee safety. A short gondola and chairlift conveyor in the plan would improve beginner skiing on the mountain, while a proposed skier services building could offer more space for ski rentals, food and beverage operations, rest rooms, and other needs.
Additionally the plan includes a small increase in parking, a pedestrian bridge over Highway 6, snowmaking improvements, remote avalanche control devices along the Upper East Wall and West Montezuma Bowl, and much more.
Projects listed in the Master Development Plan are not guaranteed. Instead the MDP allows the U.S. Forest Service to recognize that the plans are allowed within the mountain’s Special Use Permit, the White River Forest Plan and other requirements associated with operating a ski resort on Forest Service lands.
If the plan is accepted by the U.S. Forest Service, the next step would be to begin the project approval process in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. From there it’s up to the resort to decide which projects to move forward with and when to move forward with them. The full Master Development Plan is available here.
