This story has been updated to include new information provided by Arapahoe Basin on Wednesday.
Arapahoe Basin’s ski season is scheduled to close on June 15, but some skiers and riders won’t be putting away their gear for the summer.
Copper Mountain’s Summer Hike Park, a terrain park open through the summer, is scheduled to open on Friday. The park will have about a dozen rail features and will be open Fridays through Sundays into September. Day passes will be priced at $25. A season pass goes for $199.
Resort crews build the park by pushing leftover snow from adjacent slopes on top of remaining snow just above the Center Village. Skiers and riders will hike a short distance to access the park.
Arapahoe Basin suspended weekday operations last Sunday, but it will reopen this weekend, Friday through Sunday. On Tuesday, spokeswoman Shayna Silverman said June 8 was the scheduled closing date while leaving open the possibility that another weekend would be added if conditions allowed. On Wednesday, she announced a new closing date of June 15.
“Considering our (weather) forecast and conditions, June 15 will be our last day of the season without further extension,” Silverman said.
Summer operations, which include hiking, mountain biking and a via ferrata, are scheduled to begin June 27.
Lifts will be in operation this weekend from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with two lifts in operation on the front side of the mountain. A big part of season-ending skiing there features fun and frivolity with the formation of Lake Reveal, a pool of snowmelt that forms high on the mountain in June for crazy pond-skimming exhibitions..
In a blog posts over the weekend, chief operating officer Alan Henceroth reported that it began to appear Saturday afternoon and will continue to grow through the week.
“The ‘late showing’ of the water is an indication that the snowpack is deep and strong up high,” Henceroth wrote. “A deep and strong snowpack is needed to extend the season further into June. These are all good signs.”
