Why Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, Decided To Add a Real Snow Stake

Out with the old, in with the new.

Next time you venture onto the website of Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, to look at the webcams, you’ll encounter a reimagined snow stake. 

The fresh model includes Arapahoe Basin’s iconic “Flaming A” logo, positioned alongside a pair of little skis that double as measuring sticks. Check it out below. 

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Arapahoe Basin’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Alan Henceroth, told the story behind the updated snow stake in one of his blog posts.

He noted that Arapahoe Basin tends to ski like it has more snow than was reported. He also wrote that he gets playfully ribbed by skiers for under-reporting snowfall totals.

That’s why Arapahoe Basin previously used a wooden handcrafted sign of the “Flaming A” without a snow stake. Henceroth wanted skiers to focus on the snow rather than the numbers. He called it “more of a qualitative description of the snow experience,” adding, “it was all meant to be fun and reward curiosity. The savviest of skiers knew that what they saw on the Flaming A was going to feel like it was twice that much snow as they swooped down The Spine.”

In a ski landscape dominated by numbers—and conversations about who has the biggest ones—some liked that approach. Other skiers, though, didn’t. Henceroth recalled that Arapahoe Basin heard requests for a conventional snow stake.

Now, a conventional snow stake is here. Henceroth was a holdout in maintaining the old method, but finally caved.

“We have a very cool, new stake with a good measuring stick. I hope you enjoy it,” he wrote. “And those savvy A-Basin skiers won’t be surprised when they get a face shot on a 4″ powder day.”

In North America, Arapahoe Basin’s new offering fits among those found at other resorts; most of which are, you know, regular snow stakes.

But a few mountains have taken a sillier tack. 

Revelstoke Mountain Resort, British Columbia, for instance, relies on Gnorm the Powder Gnome, who, during storms, disappears beneath the snow. Grand Targhee, Wyoming, has the Stick of Truth. Right now, it features dinosaurs and an action figure.

Related: How Many Pairs of Skis Do You Need? (Poll)