Colorado’s early season snow cycles have moved the starting line for ski season up across the state. Numerous resorts, large and small, are up and running, and on Saturday, Nov. 23, Aspen Mountain and Snowmass will follow suit, opening 5 days ahead of schedule.
“Thanks to the dedication of our hard-working resort teams and the help of some great early season snow, Aspen Snowmass is grateful to welcome another season and celebrate an early opening,” Geoff Buchheister, CEO of Aspen Skiing Company, said in a press release.
Originally, the two Alterra Mountain Company resorts had been slated to open their slopes on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2024. But after nearly 2 feet of snow in the first couple of weeks of November, that has changed. Late Thursday night, Aspen announced that the two mountains were opening early.
The resort has not released any information about the open terrain, lifts, operations or lift ticket pricing yet. But it noted it will release more details next week.
Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk are both still scheduled for their Dec. 14 openings.
Early Snow Means an Early Season: Aspen and Snowmass Prepare to Open
So far, in Colorado, Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Keystone, Eldora, Copper, Loveland, Vail, Winter Park, and Wolf Creek are all already open. Early-season snowstorms across the state have made for a strong start to the 2024/25 ski season.
This November is already the 10th snowiest in Denver’s history, according to Colorado Public Radio. Snowfall records have also been broken this year in Pueblo and Colorado Springs.
While many larger resorts are open, their terrain is still significantly limited. Vail only has six of 33 lifts open, Copper only has three out of 24 open, and both Loveland and Arapahoe Basin only have one lift running. But as this La Niña year delivers more snow, that will quickly start to change.
By the end of November, all but four of Colorado’s ski resorts will be open for business. Monarch Mountain is scheduled for a December 4 opening. Sunlight will open on December 6, Echo Mountain on December 13, and the last mountain in Colorado to open will be Silverton Mountain on December 28.
