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1st Notch

Double black (extreme) A-Basin, CO

Steepest pitch39°
Vertical328 ft
Length544 ft
Average pitch37°
FacesN
Top12,617 ft

1st Notch drops 328 vertical feet over 544 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 39° about 300 feet below the top. That's steeper than 62% of the 2,251 double black runs we've measured in North America, and the 44th steepest of 161 named runs at A-Basin. It faces north.

How well 1st Notch holds snow

Snow preservationExcellent

Facing north at an average 37°, 1st Notch gets about 31% of the winter sun that flat ground at A-Basin does, December through March. That's shadier than 99% of the runs we've measured, and the 2nd shadiest named run at A-Basin. Its top sits at 12,620 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

1st Notch profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like 1st Notch elsewhere

Nearby at A-Basin

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.