Colorado’s 2017-18 ski season launched this weekend with a crowd of delighted skiers and snowboarders celebrating the first runs of the season at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. At 9 a.m., on Friday the 13th, atop an 18-inch base of packed powder, the Black Mountain Express lift began spinning, delivering skiers and riders to the top of intermediate High Noon trail.
Colorado ski resorts across the state received double digit snow totals during the first week of October with many taking advantage of the cold nighttime temperatures to make snow. Loveland Ski Area and Arapahoe Basin started their snowmaking operations on Sunday, September 24. Recent natural snowfall and cold temperatures along the Continental Divide created good snowmaking conditions, allowing Arapahoe Basin to win the friendly #RaceToOpen this year.
Following a successful 2016-17 season in Colorado, and a summer and fall of major upgrades and improvements at Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) member resorts, A-Basin’s opening has skiers and riders across the country and around the world looking forward to enjoying Colorado’s dependable world class winter conditions.
“Skiers and snowboarders everywhere look forward to the ski season kicking off in Colorado,” said CSCUSA President and CEO Melanie Mills. “Our snowmakers, groomers and operations crews work tirelessly to make this day a success, and it’s great to see the skiing community come together to celebrate the start of another season. Our resorts have spent the summer and fall preparing for this season’s guests by upgrading equipment, installing new lifts, opening new restaurants and preparing on and off mountain attractions.”
The race to host Opening Day is a highlight of the early ski season, a title often held by either Arapahoe Basin or Loveland Ski Area. Both resorts are perched atop the Continental Divide, which provides higher elevations, earlier frosts, and colder temperatures, allowing them to stay open long into the spring, giving Colorado one of the longest ski seasons in the country.
Below is a current list of scheduled opening dates for CSCUSA member resorts*.
Listed by Opening Date:
October 13 Arapahoe Basin
Mid-October Loveland
November 3 Wolf Creek
November 10 Copper Mountain
November 15 Winter Park
November 17 Eldora
November 18 Purgatory
November 21 Echo Mountain
November 22 Monarch
November 22 Steamboat
November 23 Aspen Mountain
November 23 Crested Butte
November 23 Snowmass
November 23 Telluride
November 25 Howelsen Hill
December 8 Sunlight
December 9 Aspen Highlands
December 9 Buttermilk
December 9 Cooper
December 15 Granby Ranch
December 15 Hesperus
December 15 Powderhorn
December 28 Silverton
Dates are subject to change.
