At least eight Colorado ski areas will be open this weekend after the state’s ski slopes saw up to 24″ (60cm) of snowfall this week.
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Wolf Creek were already open and Breckenridge (pictured above) and Copper Mountain had already announced plans to open, but they’re now being joined by Eldora, Loveland and Winter Park ski areas opening earlier than they’d planned to, thanks to the early snowfall. Snowmaking systems have also been operating at maximum thanks to some very low temperatures.
After an abundance of natural snowfall and more than a week of efficient snowmaking thanks to our hard-working team and new $37 million snowmaking system, Winter Park Resort is ready to kick off its 85th season of skiing and riding. We’ll start spinning lifts at 9 a.m. this Friday, November 8, with the Gemini Express with access to Village Way and Lower Parkway,” said the resort’s Jen Miller, adding, “It’ll be a day of first chairs, first laps, and first slopeside high fives.”
It means Colorado overtake Tirol, which will have six areas open this weekend, for the ski state or province with the most centres currently open.
The ski season will also open with first resorts opening in four states for the first time this autumn in Arizona, California, Idaho and Utah. The first resort to open in Nevada last week will be open for its second weekend.
North of the border four centres will be open in Canada with Jasper’s Marmot Basin, Nakiska and Banff’s Sunshine ski areas joining already open Lake Louise.
