Arapahoe Basin Ski Resort
I firt heard of Arapahoe Basin as a great place for telemark skiers -- and that it had a great party scene in the late spring. That's due to "The Beach", i.e. the parking lot right at the base of the mounatain. People bring their barbecue grills, and the smells of burgers waft up the mountain. A more traditional ski area, with not that many lifts, Arapahoe Basin has the longest season in Colorado -- often it stays open until July 4th.
The snow is good, and as the ski area is also the highest in Colorado, it stays around. In the late spring the mornings are better on the lower portion of the mountain, while in the afternoons the top is great.
The East Wall offers some hiking an colouir skiing, while the main run has a variety of groomed and semi-groomed runs all the way down the bottom. The rider can choose to ride just the lower half, or just the upper, or to take the two lift combo and ski top to bottom.
The Palaviccini lift services some great bump terrain. I only started skiing at this resort a few years ago, after getting into carving, so I haven't taken my telemark skies out yet. At the end of the season I saw the Scotty-Bob demo tent, and wished I had my boots to try those skis!
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