Arapahoe Basin

The Arapahoe Basin East Wall has a summit elevation of 13,050 feet (3,978 m), which is among the highest in-bounds skiable terrain in North America.Due to its high elevation and its mostly north-to-northeast face, the Basin's ski season is much longer than most resorts in North America.It often begins its ski operations in mid-October and continues to run lifts until June, sometimes into early July, once as late as August 10, 1995, making it one of the first resorts to open and often the last one to close."Il Rifugio" at 12,456 feet, is the highest-elevation restaurant in North America, offering a European-style bistro specializing in wine and charcuterie pairings featuring both imported and local-to-Colorado meats and cheeses.Near the top of Lenawee Lift, "Steilhang Hut" is Arapahoe Basin's newest on-mountain restaurant, serving Colorado-made specialty sausages, Colorado-brewed German draft beer, soft pretzels, and strudel made by a local Denver bakery.It is a short drive from several towns including Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Keystone, Silverthorne, Silver Plume, and Georgetown.Pika Place is conveniently located close to the base area lodge and is a carpet conveyor for kids and never-evers.The Pallavicini face itself, a group of very steep and seemingly endless mogul runs, is rated double black diamond.Open primarily in late winter and spring, the Upper East Wall is rated double black diamond extreme and is only accessible on foot.A hike of approximately 30 minutes will take guests to the North Pole, a very steep descent through rocky terrain over avalanche-blasted territory.The full terrain includes open powder bowls, tree skiing, and rocky chutes, as well as two intermediate groomed runs.[citation needed] The Steep Gullies was included in the opening of the "Beavers Area" and has the most challenging skiing at Arapahoe Basin.