Arapahoe Basin

First To Open In The US

Known as “The Legend”, their investment in snow making and high elevation has really helped them be a competitive force in holding the torch as the first to open in Colorado, and many times, the first to open in the US. The earliest ever opening being October 9th in 2009, this year they got close with opening on Thursday, October 11th. In fact, after the news broke that Keystone was going to nab the title as #1 for ski resort openings, Arapahoe Basin pulled a fast one and started running its lifts at 3:30 p.m. to steal back the win. With additional snowfall combined with the low temperatures for snowmaking, they’re on their way to opening up even more terrain. Go get ’em!

Nakiska Ski Area

Earliest Opening Ever & First To Open In Canada

Trick… or is it a treat? For skiers and snowboarders, the parade of storms that have hit Nakiska this early season are definitely a treat. In fact, these are the earliest and most significant snowstorms they’ve ever had. These snowstorms together with cold temps have allowed them to kick off their snowmaking at a roaring pace. So much so that they’re opening for a preview weekend on October 26th & 27th. Per the ski area, this is their earliest opening on record!

Loveland Ski Resort

Closest Major Resort To Denver



Loveland is located only 53 miles from Denver with over 1,800 acres of terrain. Nearly every winter, A-Basin, Loveland, & Keystone duke it out to see who will open first. Loveland is kicking off their winter season on Friday, October 25th with Chet’s Dream. This high speed lift will carry skiers & snowboarders to one top-to-bottom run covered from tree-to-tree with an 18-inch base. To do this, the trails “Catwalk,” “Mambo” and “Home Run” comprise the Opening Day run, which is over a mile in length and contains nearly 1,000 vertical feet. A great way to start the season!

Mt. Rose

Where The Snow Is

Just like their motto says, it’s “Where the snow is!” due to the highest base location in the Lake Tahoe Basin. They can fire up the snow guns before any resort and keep ‘em running longer than anyone else in Tahoe. Their target date is October 25th.

Sipapu

First Opening Ever In October

Cool temperatures at night and early season snow (including 8-inches for the month of October) allowed the first ski resort to open in New Mexico more than three weeks ahead of their schedule. The Halloween opening marks the first time Sipapu has opened for skiing and snowboarding in the month of October and the 17th consecutive time it’s been the first resort to open in New Mexico. They’re planning on running Lift 5 on a 12-inch base from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Thursday with access to Thumper. After that, the plan is to open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 13th , when the resort will open for daily operations.

Killington

The Beast Of The East

Not to be outdone by the West Coast, Killington strives every fall to have a VERY early opening each and ever year. Always known to be in the running as one of the earliest if not THE earliest resort to open and the latest to close (do you see a pattern here that many resorts want to claim this tag line?), they are targeting to open “when they say so.”

Timberline Ski Resort

Open 12 months a year



Known for their summer skiing and being open twelve months a year, Timberline just outside of Portland usually shuts down for a few weeks of maintenance and the first snowfall to refresh the base but that’s about it. The ski resort got walloped with snow last week, and so they opened for a one day preview on October 20th with Pucci & Bruno lifts running.

Wild Mountain

Midwest’s 1st Open Ski Area

The Midwest is where snowmaking was perfected on the slopes of Boyne Mountain. Shockingly, it isn’t there that normally wins the fight on the first ski resort openings list in the region. Instead, for this 2019 it’s a place called Wild Mountain in Minnesota. Due to their geographic location, they can begin to shoot snow a bit earlier than their neighbors. For the 2019-20 season, they’ve just opened the bunny hill, a terrain park and both rope tows for skiing and snowboarding on Tuesday October 29th. It plans to add an intermediate run and a chairlift on Friday.

Hopefully you’re ready to get on the slopes this season because a resort near you will be opening soon if not already.

If you aren’t prepared, check out our gear check-up and tips on getting your body ready for the season.