Weekend traffic on the I-70 mountain corridor was the busiest in five weeks as Arapahoe Basin gave us all one last chance to ride.
More than 97,000 cars traveled the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnels this Friday into Sunday, May 15-17. That was up nearly 9.5% percent from the previous weekend, led by a surge in traffic on Friday and sustained traffic through Sunday, when A-Basin finally called it quits after 29 weeks of skiing and riding. That’s about 200 days, give or take.
Closing on May 17 is almost four weeks earlier than last season for A-Basin, and the earliest closing in recent history, but three weeks earlier than predicted.
We can’t guarantee a bump in I-70 traffic was because of A-Basin. This third closing weekend was noticeably slower than the second closing weekend, May 8-10, when a deep May powder day filled the lower and upper lots by 11 a.m. on a Friday. But the promise of pond skimming and top-to-bottom turns was enough to bring out the hardcores – those people who will brag forever about the season they skied a record third closing weekend.
Back on May 3, when A-Basin was supposed to close the first time, no one was expecting much.
“It was looking pretty dire there,” one Front Range skier told us this past Friday. His name was Chris, and he was there to celebrate his 61st birthday with his adult son and a friend. For years this birthday tradition was never in doubt – until this year.
“I’m glad A-Basin made it happen,” Chris said. “Great birthday gift.”
The surprises kept coming when A-Basin said pond skimming was good to go for closing weekend.
Now A-Basin thaws out for summer season, including the via ferrata and new mountain bike trails, opening July 2. That is about two weeks later than last summer.
Weekly tunnel counts sponsored by Dillon Ridge Liquors. Preview images by Curtis Devore at Arapahoe Basin.