November Storm Hits Colorado as Resorts Prep to Open

Featured Image: Dustin Schaefer, Loveland Ski Area

It’s beginning to look a lot like… ski season! A cold front has descended on Colorado and much of Western North America, marking the first stretch of consistent cold temperatures during winter 2024/25. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Wolf Creek and Keystone Resort have all officially opened for the year, with several other resorts due to follow shortly.

This recent storm hit the central and southern reaches of the state hardest. Breckenridge, located in the Central Rockies between Copper Mountain and Keystone, clocked over 18″ inches on their snow stake the night of November 4th. Early in the season, storms like this can help build that crucial preliminary base for resorts. But large amounts of snow in November can also create dangerously unstable layers deep in the snowpack beyond resort boundaries, as this snow is almost guaranteed to go through a freeze-thaw cycle in the coming weeks. It’s something to be mindful of as we start venturing into the backcountry. As snow continues to stack up, be sure to check in with your local avalanche center for information before heading out, even with minimal accumulation.

No matter where you’re riding, we hope your local mountain is able to start spinning chairs as soon as possible. Until that happens, check out the photo gallery below to get fired up for the ski season! It’s right around the corner.