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No snow, no problem: Breckenridge and Copper kick off seasons despite lack of natural snow 

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Cody Jones and Kyle McCabe
Summit Daily News
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A snowboarder gets some air on Copper Mountain's opening day Friday, Nov. 7.
Kyle McCabe/Summit Daily News

It may not look or feel like ski season yet, but that did not stop guests from lining up early for opening day at both Breckenridge Ski Resort and Copper Mountain on Friday, Nov. 7. 

Even though temperatures have been unseasonably warm and the area has yet to see significant snowfall, both major ski resorts provided  fun, safe and sprawling opening day terrain packages for guests to explore.

Breckenridge Ski Resort

Like previous years, people lined up for the first chair at Breckenridge Ski Resort in the late afternoon hours on Thursday, Nov. 6. 

After a windy, but fairly serene night, the opening day festivities began on Friday morning with Breckenridge handing out donuts and baked goods to the eager skiers and snowboarders. 

At the front of the line for the second-consecutive year was Colorado Springs’ Kyler Kasten and Tyler Clayton. Calling themselves the “Ylers” for short, the duo made the drive up to Breckenridge in order to claim their spot at the front of the lift queue at the bottom of Peak 8’s Colorado SuperChair. 

“We are trying to get pumped for the season,” Clayton said. “You know there are probably a million people that ski here in a year. This is bragging rights all day, baby.”

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
Kyler Kasten, left, and Tyler Clayton await the first chair at Breckenridge Ski Resort on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

With many of the mountain bike trails on Peak 8 still visible, natural snow coverage for opening day was lighter than in previous years, but snowmakers worked around the clock to deliver a strong product for skiers and riders.

“Thanks to the great investments that we made over the summer for snowmaking, we were able to wrap up things faster and our team has been working nonstop,” senior communications specialist Emily Kowalenko said. “We have to thank our crew and mountain operations for working hard, we couldn’t have done it without them. The energy here is electric. We are so happy to finally be open for the season.”

For opening day, skiers and riders rode up on the Colorado SuperChair to above Vista Haus before making turns down the Springmeier trail back to the bottom of Peak 8. Guests could then take Colorado SuperChair back up the mountain or ride the Five SuperChair to about mid-mountain. 

Beginner-level skiers and riders could enjoy several learning carpets at the bottom of Peak 8. 

Although the mostly man-made snow was firm in places, skiers and riders hollered their way down the groomed trail, excited to be back linking turns at Breckenridge.

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The Colorado SuperChair lift line begins to move as DJ DC spins tunes at Breckenridge Ski Resort’s opening day on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

“The snow is not great, but we are here to live it,” Clayton said. “We are getting our feet back under us, man.”

“We are looking forward to more snow,” Kasten said. “Pow, pow for days.”

Starting on Friday, Breckenridge will be open for daily operations throughout the winter season. The BreckConnect Gondola will begin running at 8:30 a.m. and the resort’s lifts will begin turning at 9 a.m. For the time being, Breckenridge will have Colorado SuperChair and Five SuperChair running with access to primarily intermediate terrain on Springmeier. 

Additionally, two learning carpets will remain available at the base of Peak 8 for beginner guests. The resort plans to open the Rip’s Ride lift and Trygve’s trail to offer additional beginner terrain in the coming days.

Uphill access at Breck is currently closed in order to allow early season mountain preparations and snowmaking to take place. The resort will announce when uphill access is open to guests.

The resort will continue to make snow at every opportunity to expand terrain as weather and conditions permit. The resort is currently working to open more terrain on Peak 8 before connecting over to Peak 9 to open up that base area. 

Entering its 64th season, Breckenridge Ski Resort has a lot to look forward to over the coming months. In just a few weeks time, Breckenridge will host the Rockstar Energy Open from Dec. 19-21. 

The three-day event will feature some of the best snowboarders in the world and is free and  open to the public. Beyond competitive snowboarding, the event will include live music, art installations and an interactive fan village. 

The Rockstar Energy Open will take place alongside the 62nd annual Ullr Fest from Dec. 18-20. The town event will include a parade, a giant community bonfire and the world’s (unofficial) longest shotski. 

Additionally, Breckenridge recently announced that it plans to host the 40th anniversary of the Snowboarding World Championships from April 17-19. The resort will honor snowboarding’s past, present and future with a weekend of snowboarding competitions that feature a hand dug halfpipe competition and rail jam.

For more information about the resort, visit Breckenridge.com.

Copper’s first chair of the season breaks through the opening day banner Friday, Nov. 7, on the American Eagle lift.
Kyle McCabe/Summit Daily News

Copper Mountain

the first in line when a resort opens. Kody Wright and Charley Road tried their hand Friday, Nov. 7, at Copper Mountain, arriving the night before.

Wright and Road drove to Copper from the Front Range and spent the night taking turns sleeping in their car in the parking lot and holding their spot in line. The pair were ahead of anyone else, but they said they will not be doing it again.

“This is a one-and-done,” Wright said. “Anyone thinking about doing it — do it once. You’re probably going to hate it.”

After waiting through the cold overnight, Wright and Road said they were excited the sun had come out to warm things up.

Road said this season is only his second snowboarding, and when he saw an Instagram post Thursday about Copper opening the next day, he texted Wright to ask if he wanted to try to get first chair.

“I was like ‘Oh, that looks dope,'” Road said. “Then I was like, ‘Wait, I could actually do that.'”

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Copper Mountain’s opening day festivities included Yeti product giveaways for the first 50 people in line, free hot chocolate and power bars from the Copper bake shop and two DJs playing at the bottom and top of the American Eagle lift.

Copper Mountain communications manager Olivia Butrymovich said Rhapsody to Fair Play to Main Vein were open on the resort’s first day, as well as a hikeable terrain park at the top of American Eagle.

For its first Saturday of the ski season, Copper is having its annual Snowsation concert event in Center Village. Rootbeer Richie & The Reveille will kick things off from noon until 1 p.m. followed by headliner Velvet Daydream from 1:30 to 3 p.m. There will also be a sweepstakes giveaway Saturday, Nov. 8.

Ethan Salsbury did not get first chair this year, but he was in line before the lift opened with his Eretic snow scooter. Essentially a “scooter with skis on it,” the equipment has a front ski that pivots to help Salsbury turn and pins on the surface to attach to his boot and keep his foot in place.

“It’s just my favorite way to be on the mountain, for sure,” Salsbury said.

Salsbury has been riding his snow scooter since he moved to Summit County four years ago, he said. He worked as a liftie and in snow removal at a few resorts, but he said he is now starting a snow scooter rental business, Unbound Snow Scooters.

Early-season conditions do not give Salsbury too much trouble, he said. 

“I prefer a little bit better conditions,” Salsbury said. “I mean crispy out here is, like, kind of the best thing you can really hope for anyway this early in the season.”

The actual first chairs at Copper’s opening day belonged to high school and college-aged ski racers. Butrymovich said the resort has early season training every year and opened race training at the end of October, with athletes practicing on courses set up off the top of the Excelerator lift.

“As ‘the athlete’s mountain,’ we like to support training and progression at every level,” Butrymovich said, referencing the resort’s slogan. “By next week, we’re expected to have the U.S. Ski Team, which is again, very in line with what we do every year.”

Butrymovich said last year’s opening day was “a huge snow day” and drew large crowds. Copper and Summit County have not seen as much early-season snow this year, but Butrymovich said the resort was excited about the 2025 opening day turnout and is optimistic about the snow outlook for the season.

This year, Copper will host an World Cup Alpine racing event for the first time. Butrymovich said the resort has stepped in to host events as a replacement venue before, but this year’s Stifel Copper Cup, an Audi FIS Ski World Cup, will be the first time Copper is the primary host.

The Copper Cup runs Nov. 27-30, and three weeks later, the resort will host a World Cup half pipe event, the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Dec. 17-20.

“Copper’s gonna be the spot to check out all these Olympians before they head over to Italy in February,” Butrymovich said.

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