Editor’s Note: Each Thursday throughout the winter, the Summit Daily News will provide a terrain update that will inform skiers and riders on what trails are open at what mountains before they head out to the slopes. This week will be the final update featuring all of Summit’s ski areas. Any further updates and openings will be written about separately.

Although it feels like the ski and ride season began not that long ago, Summit County ski areas have nearly opened all of their runs.

Keystone Resort officially reached that mark a few weeks ago, and with a few more inches of snow expected throughout the weekend, ski areas are expected to make progress toward becoming the next mountain to reach the 100% open mark.

A-Basin inches closer to opening the Steep Gullies 

It has been a busy week at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. On Monday morning, Feb. 5, officials formally announced that Alterra Mountain Company has signed a contract to purchase the ski area.

Despite the breaking news, crews at A-Basin have remained focused on the current season and making headway on opening up its signature ski terrain.

Guests at A-Basin are expected to be greeted by more fresh snowfall this weekend. According to OpenSnow forecasts, the ski area is expected to see up to 6 inches of snow over the next five days, which is stoking excitement for the Steep Gullies to open soon.

“Our teams have been working in the Steep Gullies all week,” communications manager Shayna Silverman said. “We think this latest storm will get them ready to go, so keep an eye out for those to pop open any day now.”

A-Basin has also begun preliminary work on the East Wall, which will be the final piece of terrain to open at the ski area for the season. Crews plan to solely focus on that patch of extreme terrain once skiers and riders are finally taking laps down the Steep Gullies. 

Breckenridge gives access to high-Alpine terrain on Peak 7

After Breckenridge Ski Resort’s ski patrol teams triggered an in-bounds avalanche on Peak 7 last month, the high-Alpine bowls have refilling enough for the resort to open its extreme trails located near the summit of Peak 7.

The rope drops will give skiers and riders access to several fan-favorites, including Whale’s Tail, the Boundary Chutes and Art’s Bowl. Although the trails are still thinly covered by snow, Breckenridge hopes that a few more inches of snow over the weekend will help to fill in the thin areas while skiers compact the slope with their tracks.  

Whiskey River is the only trail not yet open on Peak 7, and Breckenridge is aiming to have that trail open in the next few days. Peaks 8, 9 and 10 are completely open for the season with all the trails ready to go. 

Over on Peak 6, the ski resort is waiting on the south end of the Six Senses to open, while Echo and everything north are open and skiing great for those that are willing to make the hike.

“Two inches of new snow on the ground this morning made for some nice, soft turns,” senior communication specialist Sarah McLear said on Thursday afternoon. “Keep your fingers crossed for more to help us cross the 100% of terrain open finish line.”

Loveland Ski Area opens Jelly Roll off of Lift 9

Loveland Ski Area is rolling into the weekend by adding the Jelly Roll trail off of Lift 9. 

The black-diamond trail marks the seventh trail to open off of Lift 9, with the remaining terrain mostly consisting of double-black-diamond trails. Ski patrol teams are now working toward opening the remaining terrain along the Continental Divide and expects to have more announcements soon.

Running for the first time this weekend, the Ridge Cat will provide free snowcat rides to some of Loveland’s most exciting terrain. 

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Additionally,  Loveland is excited to announce that Loveland’s Snowcat Tours will run the first trip of the season on Friday, Feb. 23. Reservations will open up on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at noon. To reserve a snowcat tour session, visit SkiLoveland/snowcattours.  

Copper reaches 94% mark

Copper Mountain Resort will not have any major terrain updates for guests this weekend, but with the resort 94% open for the season, there are a plethora of trails for skiers and riders to find their slice of solace on.

With only 10 high-Alpine, condition-dependent trails needed to reach the 100% mark, Copper ski patrol teams are working hard to assess the weather and trail conditions in order to give guests complete access.

“Our team is actively monitoring conditions, and we’re excited for the new snow,” senior communications manager Loryn Roberson said. “Copper Mountain is ready to offer an exciting weekend of skiing and snowboarding.”

Keystone provides conditions update

With all of its 140 trails now open for the season, Keystone Resort does not have a ton in terms of terrain updates, but it did provide a detailed conditions update for those looking to visit the ski area this weekend.

Seeing 1.5 feet of snow over the past week has made for some great turns at Keystone, but that snow was quickly followed by warm, sunny weather, causing some variable conditions on Keystone’s south-facing slopes like many other resorts in the region.

Fresh snow from Thursday and this weekend is expected to soften trails again and create ideal skiing conditions. The teams at Keystone recommend checking out some of the resort’s new tree runs in Erickson Bowl and off of North Peak. 

“Foxtrot, a blue run that has returned to Keystone’s trail map for the first time in years, is a mellow intermediate trail that winds back and forth down the backside of North Peak and offers impressive views of The Outback and North Bowl,” communications manager Max Winter said. “Guests can follow Foxtrot back to our Anticipation trail, or venture into our brand-new Foxtrot glades for a less-traveled tree-skiing experience.”