FREE!ANDY'S SKI&RIDE GUIDES ARAPAHOE BASIN 2009/2010 SEASON Every trail described & rated Hints for getting around Great for all skiers and riders TABLE OF CONTENTS T WHAT ARE ANDY’S SKI & RIDE GUIDES? . 5. E N A A L M E G R E E N ANDY’S RATING SYSTEM . 7. GLEN PLAKE BRAD HOLMES JEREMY BENSON MATTHIAS MAYR KEY TO USING THE GUIDE . 8. CHRIS LAKER FRONTSIDE TRAILS AND LIFTS . 10. MONTEZUMA BOWL TRAILS AND LIFTS . 62. TREE LINES . 84. TERRAIN PARK ANALYSIS & TOP 5 . 85. MAPS . 86. QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE . 90. 3 WHAT ARE ANDY’S SKI & RIDE GUIDES? Welcome to the newest edition of Andy’s Ski and Ride Guides. This guide has been completely rewritten with all the new changes that have happened at A-Basin. Formally Andy’s Handy Ski Guides, these little booklets open up the world of A-Basin Ski Area. You will now know what happens on every run, lift and nook and crannie at A-Basin. It does not matter how you slide down the hill, whether on skis, snowboard, snowbike, monoski, telemark or whatever, these guides will enhance your day. If you are new to my guides, the best way to enjoy them is to understand my rating system; it is an international rating system, not a ski area specific system like the green, blue and black rating we now have in place. There is a big difference in the difficulty of a trail such as a double black diamond in West Virginia than at Taos, New Mexico! A green at A-Basin may be a black in Vermont. My system is based on the whole scope of snowriding in the world. Check out my system on the next page. It’s important that you understand my ratings are an average and can be completely different from day to day. Please read and understand my liability statement. Hope you have fun out on the slopes and please check out www.andysskiandrideguides.com for more information on this and other ski areas... In this guide all trails are alphabetical and come in two tabbed sections, Frontside and Montezuma Bowl, and the lifts come after that. You’ll also find some information on tree lines, my top 5, where everyone should go according to their ability and more!. Find out where you are in my rating system and you will know where to go to stay in your comfort zone, or to challenge yourself! Remember that conditions change minute to minute and my ratings are a normal average. Check out my website: www.andysskiandrideguides.com Andy 5 ANDY’S RATING SYSTEM The easiest of the greens. Great for learning, 1-10 perfect for your first day or two but probably boring to even the 2nd day skier or rider. 11-20 A nice, easy cruiser. Perfect for the advanced beginner, ANDY'S SKI&RIDE GUIDES or those who desire a nice run without much pitch. Publisher For those who are making the transition from Fresh Powder Media, LLC 21- 3 0 advanced beginner to intermediate. Contains both Michael Slattery advanced beginner and intermediate pitches. Andy Blumenthal www.freshpowdermedia.com 31- 4 0 Solid intermediate run with medium steepness. [email protected] Creator/Writer Middle of the road terrain. Intermediates will be Andy Blumenthal 41- 5 0 challenged, advanced will feel comfortable. Art & Design Tough blues. Maybe a diamond for some pitches Kelly McFeely 51- 6 0 but, on average, intermediate stuff. Cover Photo Single Diamond terrain. Steeper than the tough Casey Day 61-70 blues, but not that hard for advanced intermediates. * The descriptions and ratings contained within Andy’s Ski & Ride Guides are based upon average weather and snow conditions. Varied conditions such as new snow, no snow, high winds, poor Solid advanced terrain. Advanced Intermediates visibility, etc. can significantly change the character and difficulty of the slope. Skiers and riders are 71- 80 should think twice. strongly encouraged to evaluate the conditions and determine if the slope is within their skill level. Please ski and ride with care. Steep terrain, any type of snow, moguls, etc. This guide is an independent publication of Fresh Powder Media, LLC who is solely responsible for its Challenging but not yet extreme. Should be a content. This guide is not reviewed, approved or in any way associated with Arapahoe Basin. 81- 91 solid advanced skier. Special Thanks to: Special Thanks to Nick Alexander, Jake and Kim Nix, Jamie Airey, Meade Parks, Tim Putz, Dan Goodale, Josh Caley, Eric Vogel, Kevin Campbell, Frances Hanna, John White, Experts only! Seriously. Anything in this category Marco Olm, Dan Bogardus, Samantha Fisher, Paul Seroka, Megan O’Hara, Gary Ross, Carl and Phil Anderson, Scott Meade, Bob Vozar, Christine Blaski, Bill Calloway, Dave Luthi, John Baker, 91-100 should not be skied or rode by anyone who has Konane Zager, Ryan Pries, my family and ski bums worldwide... any apprehension.... © 2009 by Fresh Powder Media, LLC, Denver, Colorado. All rights reserved under U.S. Copyright Laws. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission Remember that Andy’s Rating is an average of the publisher. Now go read the rest of the guide, it is boring here. and it will vary! 6 7 KEY TO USING THE GUIDE: (A) INDEPENDENCE (B) ANDY’S RATING (C)SNOWMAKING • GROOMED(D) 64 Independence is a narrow trail off of Ned’s Cache that is pretty easy for most. This is almost gully like and will have small moguls most of the time. This thin trail is pretty flat with trees to hop in on both sides. It comes back under the Zuma Lift pretty fast but is a fun tangent, none the less. (E) Every trail starts with all these vital numbers for a quick look at what there is to find: (A) Trail Name: I only talk about named trails so you will not find any “secret stashes” in this guide. But there are plenty of named areas that I talk about... (B) Rating: See Previous Page (C) Snowmaking: Either yes or no; good to know when low on snow, especially in the early season (D) Groom: This has three different designations: Groomed = Groomed almost every day; almost Occs. Groomed = Occasionally groomed; don’t count on it, check grooming report Never Groomed = Never groomed (E) Color: This is the green, blue, black system that is in place at the ski area. This is ski area specific and only pertains to the trails and areas that Keystone has to offer. A blue here may not be the same as a blue elsewhere. (This is why my rating system on the previous page is better than the current rating system we have in place in this country.) 8 2ND ALLEY 3RD ALLEY ANDY’S RATING NEVER GROOMED ANDY’S RATING NEVER GROOMED 93 91 2nd Alley is one of the famous trails at A-Basin that The third alley is the second easiest of the famous offer the expert (and only the expert) some of the steepest A-Basin alleys. That doesn’t mean it should be done by tree glades in the country. Life or death stuff here if you anyone other than an expert. The trees are tight and make a major mistake, and very challenging to almost you need to be “on” your game. This is very dangerous everyone. This is one of the hardest in bounds trails and you don’t need to make a big mistake here. Please anywhere and should not be attempted by anyone who don’t go here if you are not an expert. The conditions of FRONTSIDE has any apprehension. Try the West Alley first if you’ve the alleys change all the time with snow and wind and never tried these trails before and see if you can hang. skier traffic. A-Basin is known for it’s above treeline skiing Obviously, the better the snow conditions, the easier and riding and adverse conditions. Please don’t let this gets. others make you go over your head. On a deep powder day and you are one of the first, you probably can go straight and fast but most day’s you’ll have to make nice 13 CORNICES finished turns here. Near here is the “waterfall” which is really steep. I experienced a bad crash here, going ANDY’S RATING NEVER GROOMED 84 down on my stomach after hooking a tip and needless 13 Cornices is a fun run in the middle of the to say I came to a painful stop at the bottom of the mountain that is different than most of the trails anywhere. choke. It was quite a revelation as I thought I could This has at least 13 different drop-offs, not really cornices, handle anything at any time. I now know that things that are fun and interestingly different. This is not great can happen and you need to be very careful here and when windblown or when the base is still growing. anywhere. My friends can tell you about another day Lots of rocks make up these drop-offs and when exposed on Gauthier... this is not as fun. On a powder day and you are the first, and you are good, you’ll enjoy the face shots as you rock on through the drop-offs! Ask a local about the “tree of life”... 10 11 BEAR TRAP CHALLENGER ANDY’S RATING NEVER GROOMED ANDY’S RATING NEVER GROOMED 84 80 Bear Trap is a little tangent off of North Glade that Challenger is a quick pitch coming off the comes out right at the bottom of the Pallavicini lift.