Arapahoe Basin’s New Pallavicini Lift Opens to Guests
A-Basin’s new Pallavicini lift back in October 2020. The lift opened for the 2020-21 season on December 19.
This past Saturday, Arapahoe Basin opened its new Pallavicini chair to resort visitors. This new Leitner-Poma fixed-grip double chair, which replaced another fixed-grip double built in 1978, follows the same line as the old Pali lift and now boasts safety bars (which A-Basin’s COO has wittily referred to as “comfort” bars).
Our Take
We came across the new Pallavicini lift doing load testing this past October, and it looks like there’s finally enough snow cover to operate this important new lift. While some argue that Pali could have used a capacity upgrade to help get visitors to Beavers terrain, we imagine the overwhelming majority of A-Basin frequenters will value the continuation of low-capacity service to this area. The Pali lift serves some of A-Basin’s most extreme terrain, and we imagine many riders will appreciate the new safety bars along the gnarly lift line. Overall, given the similarities between the old and the new lift, we don’t expect A-Basin’s experience to change much.
Considering a trip to Arapahoe Basin this winter? Check out our comprehensive mountain review. In addition, with COVID still a factor, see our guide on the state of 2020-21 resort operations.
