Summer means skiing in shorts and bikinis at Arapahoe Basin
- Details
- Created on Friday, 01 July 2011 20:47
- Written by Dena Rosenberry
By R. Scott Rappold and photos by Mark Reis, The Gazette
ARAPAHOE BASIN – It’s Fourth of July weekend – a lovely time for a dip.
But Lisa Hewett let out a shriek as she emerged from the water.
“It’s a good thing I like the cold,” said Hewett, a skier from Colorado Springs.
This is no summer swimming hole, but an icy pond known as Lake Reveal, high above timberline in the Rocky Mountains. The fact she could be up here at all Friday, trying to shoot across the water on alpine skis, is a testament to the phenomenal snow year in Colorado.
Some make the ride across the water. Most do not.
See more photos from Friday's skiing and riding at A-Basin
And the fact hundreds came out Friday to play in the snow is a testament to Coloradans' love of skiing.
“I kept telling myself, ‘I love water skiing and there’s nowhere to water ski in Colorado, so enjoy it!’” said Hewett, who didn’t keep her speed and tips up enough to make it more than a few feet across the pond before splashing into the drink.
This weekend marks the first time since 1997 ski area Arapahoe Basin has stayed open through July 4. Most of Colorado's ski areas closed 2 1/2 months ago.
In fact, this is only the fourth time in A-Basin's 65 years that it has stayed open through Independence Day.
But the snow fell heavily and lingered long into the cold spring this season, leaving A-Basin with a 40-inch base for its final weekend. The lifts will run daily through Monday; even this alpine bowl can’t fight off summer forever.
“There’s nothing like skiing in July,” said Dick Fulton, an Aurora skier who works in Colorado Springs. His summer ski gear included a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and, for some reason, a moptop wig.
He planned to skim across the lake. He didn’t make it.
“This is what summer skiing is all about - a refreshing dip,” he laughed, crawling out of the water onto the snow.
A-Basin officials had considered closing two weeks ago, after extending the season on weekends from its typical early June closing date. But, said marketing head Leigh Hierholzer, people still wanted to ski.
The area has seen about 1,000 skiers a day during this extended summer season. That's barely a third of the peak-season attendance, but enough to justify keeping the lifts running.
“If people are going to show up, we want to have it open for them,” she said.
So great was the winter snow, 10 ski areas in five Western states – no others in Colorado – are reopening for the weekend or never closed.
The normal rules of skiing are out the window in such times, as shorts, costumes and bikinis replace snow pants and waterproof coats.
The lifts only run until 2:30. The tourists are long gone. This isn’t about them. This is about Colorado. And reveling in something as contradictory as skiing and boarding in July.
(Check back later at OutThereColorado.com for MORE photos from summer skiing at A-Basin.)
Only a handful of runs remain open at A-Basin and up top the snow has the consistency of a snow cone, said skier Roland Gaasch. Lower, it resembled a slushy white ribbon through the woods, where the skier who strays too far left or right will learn the hard way why they are called the Rocky Mountains.
Still, said Gaasch, “This is terrific. You’ve got to love it.”
Not that he would be tackling Lake Reveal.
“That’s one thing about being 68 years old. You get older and wiser and you learn the better part of valor is discretion.”
Despite being soaked high in the mountains, Hewett was all smiles.
“For the record, I absolutely can water ski,” she said.
And, for the record, the water isn’t that cold after you get out of it. After all, it is summer.
“We’ve got bikinis on and snow and you can’t beat that.”
Summer skiing
Arapahoe Basin is open daily through Monday, when it closes for the season.
Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Adult lift tickets are $39. Rentals are available. There is no beginner skiing.
Visit www.arapahoebasin.com for more information.
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