Colorado's Gay Basin Celebration Looked Like a Blast

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated May 20, 2025 7:23 AM ET

Pride Month may be a few weeks away, but that didn’t stop Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, from celebrating LGBTQIA+ skiers and snowboarders this past weekend during a two-day event aptly titled “Gay Basin.”

On Saturday, May 17, 2025, the festivities kicked off with a parade from the summit to Black Mountain Lodge, followed by a DJ set from Don Fuego at 11:00 a.m. That evening, Outer Range Brewing hosted the Gay Basin Afterparty, which featured drag bingo and another DJ set. Outer Range also sold a special, limited edition Gay Basin Extra Pale Ale.

Sunday started again with a parade from the summit to Black Mountain Lodge. At 11 a.m. at the Black Mountain Lodge, the Play Haus at Gay Basin began, with special guests Shayna P, Brok, Banana Splits, Brenda Staxxx, and Anastasia Krystals.

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The weekend’s events, according to a social media post from Arapahoe Basin, were “unreal.”

“We host Gay Basin because everyone deserves to celebrate exactly who they are,” the ski resort wrote. “This weekend was about honoring the differences that make our community strong, vibrant, and incredibly fun. A-Basin is for everyone.”

A portion of the Gay Basin proceeds benefited Mountain Pride, an organization that, according to its website, is dedicated to celebrating "the diversity of our LGBTQIA+ communities across the mountains of Colorado through education, connection, advocacy and access to resources."

Arapahoe Basin is one ski resort and mountain community among many that celebrates pride.

Aspen, Colorado, hosts the nation’s longest-running gay ski week, featuring lunches, receptions, and parties. Telluride, Colorado, too, hosts a popular pride gathering, Telluride Gay Ski Week, which began in 2002.

Other destinations with pride offerings include Mammoth Mountain, California; Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia; and Park City, Utah.

The pride festivities may have wrapped up at Arapahoe Basin on Sunday, but the ski resort’s season at large isn’t over yet.

Known for offering Colorado’s longest ski and ride season, Arapahoe Basin regularly remains open into June. Last season, in 2024, the mountain kept its chairlifts open until June 16, for a total of 222 operating days. Arapahoe Basin's latest historical closing date was August 10.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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