For the past three summers, North America’s highest-elevation via ferrata has made for an exhilarating addition to Arapahoe Basin’s summer recreation activities.
Now resort officials are in the preliminary stages of planning a second one, and they have entered the approval process with the U.S. Forest Service.
The first one, which opened in 2021 on Arapahoe’s East Wall, is a rigorous high-alpine challenge that ascends 1,200 feet and tops out at an elevation of 13,000 feet. The second will be designed for those seeking more modest climbing adventures. The White River National Forest is soliciting public comments on the proposal as part of the formal approval process.
“There is a need to provide a training site to prepare summer visitors for potential future climbs of the East Wall’s longer and higher upper zone,” reads the forest service’s scoping notice. “There is also a need to serve families and group tours looking for a shorter experience on their National Forest. Overall, the proposed second via ferrata would offer summer visitors more diverse opportunities for adventurous, natural resource-based recreation.”
Via ferrata means “iron way” in Italian. A via ferrata utilizes iron rungs and protective climbing hardware anchored to rock walls to protect climbers from long falls on routes with considerable exposure. The term comes from the original via ferrata built in Italy’s Dolomite region, which was constructed for military fortifications in World War I.
In Colorado, there are at least a half a dozen other via ferratas, including those in or near Ouray, Idaho Springs, Buena Vista and Telluride.
A-Basin’s via ferrata is a guided-only experience with half-day and full-day tours available.
“After operating the via ferrata that we have now, we realized, ‘Boy, we built probably the most incredible via ferrata in North America, and it might be too much for (some) folks,” said Tony Cammarata, A-Basin’s director of development and planning. “We have an offering now that is both half-day and full-day. That sort of strenuous activity at altitude is not for everybody. We were like, ‘We still want a venue where people can get a taste of via ferrata, without maybe spending the entire day of their vacation, or working into other summer activities at the ski area.”
The forest service’s scoping notice states that the existing via ferrata is “rated high in difficulty and is considered one of the most challenging via ferratas in the United States.” The second one is being planned for a nearby area known as the East Gully Cliffs and is a small rock band, in contrast to the existing via ferrata, which is on a much broader rock face.
Planning will continue this coming summer, Cammarata said, and there is no timeline for the new via ferrata. But, the forest service is accepting comments through its website now, and is encouraging interested parties to comment by Feb. 15.
