People get in line as early as possible to make sure they get the same mug number they’ve had in previous years.
There are 473 members in the Mug Club at Arapahoe Basin’s 6th Alley Bar & Grill because there is room for only 473 hooks above the bar. The mugs are part of a long tradition and are highly coveted. is usually the first Colorado ski area to open for the season, and when the big day arrives, there’s always a long lift line with a party vibe and plenty of wacky costumes.For some A-Basin regulars, their top priority isn’t getting a seat on one of the first chairs up the mountain.
“It’s like a collector’s item,” said A-Basin regular Billy Edwards. “It’s yours; you go to 6th Alley, and it’s up there hanging above the bar. It’s part of the community and culture. It’s more about the community than drinking. We’re there to celebrate skiing at the end of the day.” “Driving into work on opening day, we get here pretty early because we’re getting the bar open,” Caldwell said. “It’s about 6 o’clock in the morning, and there’s already a line all the way down the outside of the building . The first impression is, ‘Here we go again.’ You’re looking to see how long the line is and you wonder how long people have been there. Quite often, people get there way before sunup, you know, 4 o’clock in the morning.
The graphic design for Arapahoe Basin’s Mug Club for the 2020-21 season showed the ski area’s logo wearing a pandemic mask. “That might have been the only fun thing we had with COVID,” said chief operating officer Alan Henceroth. “The main entrance to 6th Alley is a sliding door, almost like a barn door,” Caldwell said. “You have people pretty much champing at the bit, waiting for that barn door to slide open. It’s almost like a mad dash to get your position at the bar. Sometimes our guests get a little excited and get ahead of themselves. I’m still opening the door and they’re sitting at the bar. I’ve had to push through the crowd to get to a position where I can help them.
That’s what attracted Edwards when he moved to Colorado from Vermont and began skiing A-Basin in 2015. It’s why the only ski pass he buys every year is an A-Basin season pass. He typically uses it 50-60 times per season.