A snowstorm that comes after spring has arrived reminds us of the great things about the last winter, including the beauty of snow falling. Some of the lost areas have hung around to one degree or another for years, also reminding skiers of the joys of winter and past ski seasons.
One example is Arapahoe East, which haunted skiers as they drove through Mount Vernon Canyon going to, or returning from, the mountains. By 1984, only the lift towers remained.
Arapahoe East sat atop a hill on the south side of I-70 (north slope of Mt. Liniger) a couple of miles west of the exit to Golden and Morrison. The idea was that of Larry Jump, who owned Arapahoe Basin early on.
One unique thing about the area, which opened in 1972, was that you paid by the ride with tokens, which were .25 cents each. One token was required for the Poma lift and two for the chairlift.
You can read all about Arapahoe East — kind of a sad story — in Lost Ski Areas of Colorado’s Front Range and Northern Mountains. If you buy through this website, we’ll sign the book and get it out to you right away.
Hat tip to coloradoskihistory.com for letting us use their image of the AE brochure.