Starting next season, Arapahoe Basin Ski and Snowboard Area will require online parking reservations for all weekend and holiday visitors.
“We are doing this to take care of the guest experience at Arapahoe Basin,” Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth said in a statement on the resort’s blog.
He said the decision has nothing to do with the resort’s recent acquisition by Alterra Mountain Company.
“Limiting season pass sales, ticket sales and Ikon Pass access has mostly worked well to control daily skier numbers,” Henceroth explained.
But those measures haven’t been enough to tame the growing traffic on Highway 6 and the overflowing lots at the base of the resort. Now, on busy days, skiers and snowboarders are being turned away by resort staff, who ask latecomers to return to look for parking after 11 a.m. or noon, when parking spaces start to be vacated by the early morning crowd.
“We now think implementing a parking reservation system is the best and most logical next step,” Henceroth said.
Reservations will be required for weekends, holidays and other peak days until 1 p.m. from mid-December through early May. General parking reservations will be available for $20 per vehicle.
“I have discussed the parking reservation concepts with several A-Basin skiers and riders,” Henceroth said. “Responses from guests have varied from skepticism to immediate embracement. There is no doubt that requiring reservations will take away some of the spontaneity of skiing. That spontaneity, however, can be a major contributor to parking problems, especially on powder days.”
A daily reservation is required for every vehicle, but a limited number of season-long parking passes will be available for $150. Carpoolers with four or more people per vehicle will be allowed to park for free, though they will still need to make a reservation.
Complete details about the online parking reservation system will be released in the fall.
