Arapahoe Basin will be the only Colorado ski area open for skiing on Memorial Day, and it’s looking as if that will mark the beginning of the final week of the season.
“We are aiming for June 6,” said Arapahoe Basin spokeswoman Katherine Fuller. “That’s looking good.”
Breckenridge had been scheduled to remain open through Memorial Day, but conditions there forced officials to close the resort last Sunday, leaving A-Basin as the only area in operation.
Two years ago, A-Basin closed on July 4, but that hadn’t happened since 2011. Last year, A-Basin was the only Colorado ski area to reopen after the COVID-19 closure imposed by Gov. Jared Polis that went into effect on March 15. It reopened May 27 but closed for the season on June 7.
The snowpack at Arapahoe Basin is about 30% below normal, according to OpenSnow, an independent reporting and forecasting service. Breckenridge is 34% below normal.
“It was a little bit of a drier year for the whole state,” Fuller said, “so I would say June 6 is pretty good, all things considered.”
Two runs on the lower mountain are half their normal width, Fuller said, with maintenance crews moving snow to the shadier side of the trails to keep them skiable.
“There’s still some really good skiing, especially up top,” Fuller said. “It’s good spring skiing, especially in the morning.”
Officials caution that none of the terrain currently open is appropriate for beginners.
The alpine pond that forms on the upper mountain annually at the end of A-Basin’s season, attracting pond skimmers and loads of cheering spectators, hasn’t quite set up, but Fuller said it should be in shape for skimming soon.