Each year, there’s an unofficial race to see which ski resort will be the first one in the U.S. to start turning its lifts up and down the mountain.
Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Area, Keystone Resort and Arapahoe Basin are typically in the running to be the first to get those chairs heading up the slopes. Location, weather and snow-making capabilities are often what dictates who can pull it off the fastest.
We now have our winner for the first ski resort to open for the 2024-2025 ski season — and it’s happening earlier than last year.
The technical winner is Ski Ward — a 220-foot vertical ski resort less than an hour outside of Boston in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. However, this resort’s Oct. 19 opening didn’t give skiers and riders the real mountain feel, as it included just a short (and narrow) run with 100% human-made snow that was only accessible via the magic carpet ride.
So, we’ll also include the first larger resort opening with chairlift service seven days a week: Wolf Creek Ski Area in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. After receiving 26 inches of total snow over the past few days, the resort is officially open as of Oct. 22. Long story short: Ski season is officially here.
If you are prepping for your first ski trip, you may want to wait a little longer, as the early season is not a beginner-friendly time to ski due to very limited terrain being available. On Wolf Creek’s opening day, only 40% of its terrain is skiable from three lifts: The Bonanza, Treasure and Nova. Tickets are available for $68 for adults, $49 for seniors and $34 for children.
Fortunately, many other resorts out west also saw a decent amount of snow over the weekend, which will significantly help these mountains continue to build their bases and move toward opening day.
As of now, there’s no exact set opening date for Keystone or Arapahoe Basin, but with the combination of some natural snow and snow-making in full effect, we are hoping and expecting to see these two resorts opening sooner rather than later.
After that, Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado, Brian Head Resort in Utah and Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado, have all announced a Nov. 8 opening date.
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By mid-November, many additional resorts, such as Vail Ski Resort in Colorado, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in California, Winter Park Resort in Colorado, Eldora Mountain Resort in Nederland, Colorado, and Loveland Ski Area in Dillon, Colorado, plan to open. You’ll want to pay attention to the social media pages for these and other resorts to get a real-time feed of the first tracks of the season.
Related: Best ski resorts in Colorado for everyone from beginners to experts
On the East Coast, you’ll have to wait a few more weeks before ski resorts are really open. Some — such as Killington Resort in Vermont, Sunday River in Newry, Maine, and Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont — are looking to open in mid-November, while others won’t be open until December. From what we’ve seen in past years, many of these projected dates get pushed back as well. Similarly to what we’re seeing with Wolf Creek, the terrain will likely be extremely limited at first.
For those who are able to get an early start on the season, make sure to lock in your season pass now, especially since some passes will go off sale shortly.
Day passes can cost between $100 and $200 per day, if not more. Pricey resorts like Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, typically charge around the $300 per day mark for passes. The Epic Pass will give you a head start at Keystone, Vail, Breckenridge and Heavenly Mountain Resort in California; the Ikon Pass will come in handy at Winter Park, Mammoth, Arapahoe Basin and Brighton Resort in Utah. The Mountain Collective pass will also snag you two days at Arapahoe Basin, among many other ski resorts.
If you’re planning a family ski trip, it’s not too late to get some discounted ski days if you have a child in third, fourth, fifth or sixth grade.
Through many “ski passport” programs, you can get a limited number of ski days at participating mountains within the respective state. This includes programs in Colorado (third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade), Utah (fourth, fifth and sixth grade), Idaho (fifth and sixth grade), the Northwest Rockies (fifth grade), Minnesota (fourth grade), New York (third, fourth and fifth grade), Vermont (fifth grade) and New Hampshire (fourth and fifth grade). For most passport passes, residency within the specific state is not needed, so kids throughout the U.S. can ski at a significant discount.
Related: Best credit cards to use on ski trips
With the ski season starting, you’ll want to dust off your skis or boards and make a game plan for winter. With all the ways you can use your points to book that ski-friendly hotel, you can be on the mountain in no time.
Fingers crossed for a snowy winter and that many more resorts see opening day sooner than later.
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