Pali Uphill

Arapahoe Basin

Uphill access to the steepest stuff on A-Basin’s frontside.

Resort Ski Touring Difficult

Distance: 1.8 km
Ascent: 391 m
Descent: 1 m

Low Point: 3.3 km
High Point: 3.7 km
Gradient: 24˚

Pallavicini is the terrain that first made Arapahoe Basin legendary in Colorado. This steep, north-facing bowl was some of the state’s gnarliest terrain under a lift for a long time. Even though A-Basin now includes a lot more expert zones, “Pali” remains a local favorite stomping ground. There’s still just one fixed double that goes there, but an even more authentic way is to earn your turns from the top. Before or after operating hours, you can skin 1200 feet of lung-busting uphill, then revel in quad-burning double-black runs down.

Description

The route mapped here follows blue piste to the top of Pali, where you can then pick your poison on the descent. Keep in mind that you’ll have to catch the traversing Pali Wog trail to get back to base, or otherwise end up downhill in the Steep Gullies hike-back zone.

Before you head up, look for signs that indicate if Pali is good to go. These runs are sometimes closed for control work or other reasons. And because uphill to Pali is only available during off-hours, you can’t expect any help if something goes wrong. Don’t drop in unless you’re prepared for self rescue. You will also need an uphill pass for skinning at the resort. See A-Basins’ Uphill Access page for more information.

Source: https://www.arapahoebasin.com/blog/pallavicini-history/