Ready to start wasting your days on the chairlift instead of the couch? The following is a regionally sorted prediction of when and where to find early season riding.
Colorado
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains provide her residents with an endless list of reasons to be grateful. This October, Colorado ski resorts are once again the first to open with Arapahoe Basin kicking off the season October 10th, the earliest opening in the history of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. Opening on October 16th was Loveland. Riders looking for wide open trails and fresh powder may need an active imagination or a strong dose of patience because neither Arapahoe Basin or Loveland are anywhere near full strength. Both are operating only one chairlift and a maximum of three runs early on. The next Colorado resort slated to open is Copper Mountain, which aims to open November 2.
Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, and Copper Mountain rely on a heavily man-made base. Riders looking for fluffy powder are forced to comply with mother nature’s timing.
Projected Opening Days:
Copper Mountain- Nov. 2
Winter Park – Nov. 15
Breckenridge- Nov. 10
Keystone- Nov. 10
Vail- Nov. 17
Beaver Creek- Nov. 22
Steamboat- Nov. 22
Aspen Mountain- Nov. 22
Aspen Highlands- Dec. 9
Snowmass- Nov. 23
Telluride- Nov. 22
Pacific NW
Glaciers and year-around skiing may kill the novelty of early season skiing in the Pacific Northwest. Timberline Ski Area provides lift access to the palmer snowfield every month but September. With Whistler and Mammoth Mountain also dabbling in the summer skiing scene, Northwest skiers don’t have the excuse of rusty edges and atrophied muscles each fall.
Perennial snow is great, but what the Northwest lacks is the cold, dry weather ideal for snowmaking. With snowmaking limited, the cutthroat battle for early snow gives Pacific Northwest resorts a good reason to bribe Old Man Winter to deliver his magic.
Alberta’s Lake Louise has the earliest projected opening on November 9. Although many resorts haven’t reported official opening days, Mt. Baker, Washington, Mt. Hood resorts and Whistler, British Columbia could supply great early season conditions if the weather cooperates.
Projected Opening Days:
Timberline- Open
Lake Louise- Nov. 9
Mt. Hood Meadows- Nov. 16
Mt. Bachelor- Nov. 17
Whistler Blackcomb- Nov. 22
Whitewater- Dec. 1
Red Mountain- Dec. 7
The Rest of the West
Enthusiasts looking for the best early season riding may want to tune into the Weather Channel because even ski areas with substantial snowmaking systems rely on cold temperatures to enable them to start blowing snow early. Each year, the snow-gods play favorites in deciding who is rewarded with an early season dump, while leaving others left waiting for their turn.
Snowmaking makes early season riding more reliable for many ski areas. Heavenly, California claims the largest snowmaking system in the West. Under common ownership, Snowbasin, Utah and Sun Valley, Idaho are also front runners in Western US snowmaking operations.
If natural snow is what you’re after, Brighton, Alta, and Snowbird, Utah are worth looking into. These three areas post huge average snowfall numbers year after year, and more snow throughout the season gives them a good chance of getting substantial snow early.
In the Western US, Mammoth Mountain looks to be the first resort open, with a projected first day of Thursday, Nov. 8th. A majority of Western Ski Resorts likely have the Thanksgiving holiday in mind, with many ski areas projecting opening days the weekend before: Nov. 16-18.
Projected Opening Days:
Mammoth Mountain- Nov. 8
Alta- Nov. 15
Park City Mountain- Nov. 16
The Canyons- Nov. 17
Northstar-at-Tahoe- Nov. 17
Snowbird- Nov. 17
Squaw Valley- Nov. 17
Alyeska- Nov. 17
Big Sky- Nov. 22
Jackson Hole- Dec. 1
Deer Valley- Dec. 8
East Coast
The East Coast is home to some of the most anxious and enthusiastic ski crowd who are always on top of getting on the snow as soon as possible. Sunday River kicked off the East Coast race to get things started by opening their resort yesterday on Halloween. They aren’t staying open for the season, but thanks to cold weather, they were able to get started a bit early and are getting a jump on the rest of the pack.
Thanksgiving is a pretty standard opening weekend for East Coast resorts so work off the turkey lbs. by dusting off your gear and heading to the hill. —NB
Projected Opening Days:
Sunday River- Nov. 9
Killington- Nov. 16
Sugarloaf- Nov. 16
Mont Sainte-Anne- Nov. 17
Loon Mountain- Nov. 21
Smugglers Notch- Nov. 23
Saddleback- Dec. 15
Midwest
You never quite know when the snow gods will grace the midwest with their presence. Driving home for Christmas last year, Matt Harvey, my roommate Ian and myself crossed the border into Michigan and promptly drove straight to the local ski area two minutes from my parents house for some well needed fresh air and a little night skiing. Much to our utter dismay, the area was closed. I mean, it was December 23. Never have I ever been so disappointed. I couldn’t remember the last time my little, local stomping ground wasn’t open for Christmas.
That being said, let’s hope this year brings some of the white stuff a little sooner so when back for the holidays, we can all get back to our roots and appreciate the areas that fueled our passion for skiing. It’s tough to predict when ski areas in the Great Lakes region will open, but a few have some tentative dates. The upper peninsula of Michigan and Norther Minnesota are your best bets for first tracks, but stay tuned to your local areas ski making operations to be sure you’re the first one in line when the chairlifts start running. —NB
Projected Opening Days:
Lutsen- Nov. 17
Marquette Mountain- Nov. 17
Nub’s Nob- Nov. 22
