Colorado’s ski season has arrived. Here’s where ski resorts stand — and what’s opening next.
Keystone opens Nov. 1 with Loveland and Breckenridge likely to follow
Robert Tann Follow
Katie Young, Keystone Resort/Courtesy photo
It’s officially ski season in Colorado.
Prompted by heavy snowfall and cold temperatures, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area became the first ski destination in Colorado to see its lifts start spinning after officially opening on Sunday, Oct. 29. A little after 8 a.m., the ski area had already measured nearly a foot of fresh snow as at least 200 skiers and boarders lined the entrance of its base lift, Black Mountain Express.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better opening day,” said spokesperson Shayna Silverman. “It looks like mid-winter. I can’t believe the difference of this week from last week.”
The drop in temperature and natural snow over the weekend means the ski area can redirect snowmaking efforts to other parts of the mountain as it looks to expand its terrain. Currently, High Noon, a blue, is the only run open.
According to Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth, “Our next focus is to go to the top to get Lenawee Express open,” and, from there, “we’ll just keep growing and growing.”
Eyes are now turning to A-Basin’s neighboring resorts and others throughout the state as more opening days appear on the horizon. Keystone Resort is poised to become the second ski area to open in Colorado this season with an opening day announced for Wednesday, Nov. 1. After receiving 14 inches of snow this past weekend, the resort is set to have more than 2 miles of terrain open on Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon.
“While opening new terrain depends largely on mother nature, we typically see North Peak open up in late November – early December, followed by The Outback,” wrote spokesperson Max Winter in an email response to questions from the Summit Daily News.
The openings of A-Basin and Keystone, historically the first resorts to open in the state, are on the later side compared to past seasons. A-Basin’s opening days in 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were Oct. 23, Oct. 17, Nov. 9 and Oct. 11, respectively. Keystone’s opening days for 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were, respectively, Oct. 28, Oct. 22, Nov. 6 and Oct. 12 — its earliest opening day in more than 20 years.
“We want our snow base to be at least 18 inches deep across our 2 miles of opening terrain, and so these snowmaking windows did a great job pushing us across the finish line,” Winter stated in regards to this week’s opening day.
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Next to open this season could be Loveland Ski Area and Breckenridge Ski Resort. Last year, Loveland opened Nov. 3 and has so far been aiming for an early to mid-November start for 2023.
According to a statement by Marketing Manager Dustin Schaefer, the area saw 11 inches of snow this weekend, and snowcats have been deployed to ensure even coverage on runs, typically one of the finishing touches before a mountain opens.
Breckenridge is planning to open Nov. 10, and the resort is about 40% of the way there, according to lead spokesperson Sara Lococo. The ski area saw nearly 2 feet of snow, the most accumulation of any this weekend.
While Lococo said natural snow “gets everyone pretty excited,” the bigger boon has been the cold daytime temperatures, which plummeted to near or below freezing this weekend.
“This time of year, cold temperatures are really what help us most to get us open,” she said. “We’re really looking to get the ground cold so that the snow that we make or the snow that we get actually sticks.”
While snowmaking at Breckenridge has been ongoing since last week, that has been reserved for dark hours and early mornings, but on Sunday, the resort kept its machines blowing throughout the day and into Monday, helping to cement its base as opening day approaches.
Lococo said she expects snowcats will begin fanning the mountain by next week, helping move what she called “whales,” large piles of snow that are spread throughout the runs and then groomed.
Breckenridge’s opening day is likely to focus on the Peak 8 area, though exactly what terrain will be available has yet to be announced. Also returning this season will be the resort’s Community First Tracks event that gives early access to skiers at the base of Peak 9 beginning at 7:30 a.m. every Friday in January.
While the cold snap may have been a pivotal turning point for area ski resorts after a mostly warm October, temperatures are expected to rise again later this week with daytime highs forecasted to be around 40 degrees.
“We’ll settle back into dry weather through at least Sunday, Nov. 5,” wrote OpenSnow meteorologist Sam Collentine in an Oct. 30 blog post. “Our next chance for light snow will not arrive until the week of Nov. 6. No significant storms are in sight.”
Other resorts aiming for a November opening include Vail Ski Resort, Copper Mountain Resort (which opened Oct. 29 for early season alpine ski race training), Eldora Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort, Steamboat Ski Resort and Aspen Mountain and Snowmass Ski Resort. A full list of opening days for Colorado ski areas is available at SummitDaily.com/news/when-will-colorado-ski-resorts-open-this-year.
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A statue of Ullr, the fabled Norse god who serves as the harbinger of snow, is pictured at the base of Peak 8 at Breckenridge Ski Resort on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Sarah McLear, Breckenridge Ski Resort/Courtesy photo
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The view of Breckenridge Ski Resort following a weekend snowstorm that began Friday, Oct. 27.
Sarah McLear, Breckenridge Ski Resort/Courtesy photo
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The gondola at Keystone Resort’s River Run Village is pictured on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Katie Young, Keystone Resort/Courtesy photo
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The top of Chet’s Dream lift at Loveland Ski Area pictured on Monday, Oct. 30. The ski area received abut 11 inches of snow following a storm that began Friday, Oct. 27.
Dustin Schaefer, Loveland Ski Area/Courtesy photo
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Loveland Ski Area is pictured on Monday, Oct. 30. Loveland is planning to open by early- or mid-November for the 2023-24 ski season.
Dustin Schaefer, Loveland Ski Area/Courtesy photo
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Early season alpine ski racers are pictured training at Copper Mountain Resort on Sunday, Oct. 29. The resort opened for early season training on Sunday ahead of a planned public opening on Nov. 13.
Curtis DeVore, Copper Mountain Resort/Courtesy photo
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American Eagle lift at Copper Mountain Resort is pictured on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Curtis DeVore, Copper Mountain Resort/Courtesy photo
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