With Labor Day behind us, the beginning of the Colorado ski season may be only seven or eight weeks away. According to The Denver Post’s recordkeeping, in five of the past 10 years, the first ski area opening has come during the third week of October or before.
Colorado has had at least one ski area open in October every year since 1992. That year, both Keystone and Loveland didn’t open until Nov. 3.
As for this year, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Loveland and Winter Park officials say their resorts will start spinning charilifts as soon as they have sufficient snow. Last year, Wolf Creek in southern Colorado opened on Oct. 22. It was followed by A-Basin and Keystone, which both opened on Nov. 2. Winter Park opened on Nov. 8, and Loveland on Nov. 9.
Opening dates for Colorado ski resorts (subject to change due to weather)
Keystone: opened Oct. 25
Arapahoe Basin: opened Oct. 26
Winter Park: opened Oct. 31
Breckenridge, Copper Mountain: opened Nov. 7
Loveland: opened Nov. 8
Eldora, Vail: Nov. 14
Powderhorn: Nov. 21
Purgatory, Steamboat: Nov. 22
Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Granby Ranch: Nov. 26
Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Telluride: Nov. 27
Ski Cooper: Dec. 10
Sunlight: Dec. 12
Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk: Dec. 13
Silverton: Dec. 27
TBD: Echo Mountain, Howelsen Hill, Monarch, Wolf Creek
First ski area openings in Colorado over the past 10 years
- 2015: Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, Oct. 29
- 2016: Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 21
- 2017: Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 13
- 2018: Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 19
- 2019: Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 11
- 2020: Wolf Creek, Oct. 28
- 2021: Wolf Creek, Oct. 16 (weekends only); Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 17
- 2022: Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 23
- 2023: Arapahoe Basin, Oct. 29
- 2024: Wolf Creek, Oct. 22