Arapahoe Basin Prepares For Ski Season, Tests Snow Guns, Trains Staff
ARAPAHOE BASIN, Colo. (CBS4)- Arapahoe Basin has been testing its snowmaking machines, training employees and despite a warmer October forecast, is gearing up for another October opening.
"We're going do our best to get open as soon as we can and the cold nights are coming, the weather is about to change this week, and soon as we get some cold nights and we turn that into a couple of cold days, we'll be ready to spread some snow out on the hill and get going," said Tony Cammarata, Director of Mountain Operations at Arapahoe Basin.
While the National Weather Service has predicted warmer than normal temperatures this month, Cammarata isn't concerned. He's confident people will be making turns this month, and said the ski area hasn't missed an October opening since it began making snow.
"You know, we've been testing all the snow guns all the hoses are laid out and were just kind of waiting on temperatures there. Life maintenance does all their checks and makes sure the lifts are turning properly and are ready for everybody to show up," he said.
This season at Arapahoe Basin will look more comparable to the seasons pre-covid. Cammarata said currently there are no mask mandates, and he's looking forward to seeing some smiles.
"We're just excited to get back to whatever normal is these days. We're excited that people are going to be able to come load our chairlifts. People aren't going to have to wear masks so we're gonna be able to see how happy they are and, yeah we're just looking to get back at it and learn the lessons that we did from COVID but we're ready to move on in hopefully a more positive direction."
The ski area is also opening new on-mountain dining options. The Steilhang Hut will serve German food at the top of the mountain, and has expanded its Italian restaurant, Il Rifugio at Snow Plume at mid-mountain.
