Coloradans are gearing up for the start of ski season – but details on opening dates are still in flux as resorts work to adapt to pandemic public health requirements.
Neither Loveland nor Arapahoe Basin, which typically open in October, have confirmed when trails will be ready. At the same time, Winter Park pushed its season start back after originally announcing it would open Nov. 18. Now, the resort won’t open before Nov. 30 at the earliest.
“The impacts of the East Troublesome Fire on Grand County, home to Winter Park Resort, combined with public health guidelines and restrictions have made this decision necessary and the right thing to do,” the resort said in a released statement.
At A-Basin, the weather is holding things up, according to Katherine Fuller, a spokesperson for the resort.
“We still need to make more snow,” Fuller said. “The drought this summer definitely impacted our snowmaking.”
Alan Henceroth, chief operating officer at A-Basin, said the snowmakers had a “good night” in his most recent blog post. Meanwhile, at Loveland, warm temperatures are also hindering snowmaking, according to a Nov. 3 dated update on the ski area’s snowmaking web page.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed for an Opening Day announcement this week or early next week,” the update said.
Wolf Creek in Pagosa Springs became the first resort to welcome skiers with a limited opening on Oct. 28. Keystone is set to open Nov. 6.
