Dream Unlimited Corp. officially sells Arapahoe Basin Ski Area to Alterra Mountain Co.
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, less than 2 hours drive from Denver, has been partnering with Alterra on the Ikon Pass since 2019
Lucas Herbert/Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Months after announcing plans to buy one of Summit County’s legendary ski resorts, Alterra Mountain Co. officially owns Arapahoe Basin Ski Area.
With the purchase of A-Basin, the Denver-based Alterra Mountain Co. now owns a heli-skiing operation, the popular Ikon Pass and 19 year-round resorts, including Steamboat Ski Resort and Winter Park Resort. There will reportedly be no changes to A-Basin’s local season passes or Ikon Pass access for the 2024-25 winter season.
A-Basin’s Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth has been with the ski area for 36 years and will continue to lead the resort, overseeing daily operations with his longtime team, according to an announcement released Tuesday, Nov. 19.
“Our community at Arapahoe Basin is special, and it’s something that we deeply cherish and protect,” Henceroth said in a statement. “The thrill of skiing the Pali, the tradition of hiking the East Wall, the magic of skinning to Moonlight Dinners, and the joy of sharing a chairlift ride with friends — all of these experiences define who we are and will always remain at the heart of A-Basin.”
Henceroth noted A-Basin has been partnering with Alterra on the Ikon Pass, offering a limited number of days on A-Basin’s slopes for passholders since 2019. Prior to that A-Basin was part of the Epic Pass owned by Vail Resorts.
Support Local Journalism
A-Basin has been hailed for its no-frills skiing and smaller weekend crowds. When the ski area pivoted from the Epic Pass to the Ikon Pass five years ago, it cited overcrowding. Since, the ski area has sought to curb visitation in a bid to preserve a more relaxed and intimate ski experience. Visitation during the 2022-23 season, for example, was 75% of what it was during the 2018-19 season, the ski area’s last with Epic.
Henceroth has said he’s confident that A-Basin will continue to keep the same atmosphere under Alterra’s ownership.
“They respect and embrace everything that makes A-Basin unique,” Henceroth said of Alterra. “As we move forward, I am confident that the spirit of The Basin will not only remain, but grow stronger than ever as we continue to work with leaders on the mountain on a 10-year master development plan to address parking, enhanced snowmaking, and improvements to the experience for skiers and riders of all skill levels.”
Founded in 1946, A-Basin was the first ski area built in Summit County and is one of the longest running commercial ski operations in Colorado. Over the last 27 years, A-Basin expanded the ski area to 1,428 acres, replaced all of the lifts and most of the buildings and opened the two highest elevation restaurants in North America, Il Rifugio and Steilhang Hut, the release states. The ski area has also pledged to be carbon neutral by 2025 and last year announced that they took a major step toward that goal.
“We are honored to become stewards of Arapahoe Basin, and we are excited to welcome the team to the Alterra Mountain Company family,” Alterra President and CEO Jared Smith said in the release. “A-Basin is considered legendary for a reason and has always been more than just a ski area to many — it is a home to passionate, dedicated skiers and riders who share a spirit of adventure and love for Colorado’s mountains.”
A-Basin currently offers five days of access on the Ikon Base Pass and seven on the full pass.
A new parking reservation system that A-Basin is implementing on most weekends and holidays is among the largest changes to resort operations skiers and riders are likely to experience. The ski area will be piloting the parking reservation program from Dec. 21 to May 4 in an effort to make parking, which has always been the pinch point for A-Basin, a smoother experience for visitors.
Alterra purchased A-Basin from Dream Unlimited Corp., a Canadian real estate company based in Toronto, which had owned the ski area since 1997. The sale had been pending for months while it waited for a Department of Justice antitrust investigation to wrap up. In financial documents, Dream Unlimited Corp. valued the sale at approximately $105 million.
With the purchase complete, Smith added, “The team at Alterra is excited to work with leaders at A-Basin to ensure its spirit and culture thrive.”
This story is from SummitDaily.com
