By

11/1/2016

Due to unseasonably warm weather over the last few weeks, we have made the difficult decision to delay Keystone’s opening day, which was originally scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4. We are dedicated to providing our guests with the best early-season conditions possible and unfortunately Mother Nature has not allowed us to do that in time for our scheduled opening. However, with confidence in our resort’s sophisticated snowmaking system and mountain operations team, and a more favorable weather outlook, particularly during overnight hours, we are targeting Friday, Nov. 11 as the opening day for the 2016-2017 winter season.

In our press release today, Keystone’s chief operating officer, Mike Goar, said it best, “Our top priority at Keystone is to provide our guests with the best early-season ski and ride experience possible. While Mother Nature has not made it easy for recent snowmaking operations, our team is ready to fire up the snow guns at every opportunity as weather gets cooler this week and next. We look forward to opening as soon as we feel we can provide our guests with a better experience and quality snow conditions.”

Keystone’s snowmaking team is constantly monitoring the weather around the clock and is ready to start cranking out snow at a moment’s notice. Last night the team was able to run the system up at the summit and we are expecting better temps tonight and Wednesday so will be looking to make more snow the next two nights as well. With some cooler nights in the forecast this week and cooler temperatures on the horizon next week, we believe we should be able to get a good amount of snowmaking accomplished over the next 10 days.

As we continue our on-hill operations ahead of a new Opening Day, this page will be updated daily with forecasts, on-mountain progress and any additional information we think may be helpful for you, our guests. You may also visit the Keystone Facebook & Twitter for updates. If you have any additional questions please email Info@Keystoneresort.com. If you have booked lodging with us or have any questions regarding lodging please call (888) 749-6781

We look forward to seeing you on the snow soon!

FAQs

When will you be opening?

We are just as excited as you to begin our season and we are now targeting Friday, Nov. 11 for the resort’s opening day. Check http://www.keystoneresort.com/openingupdate for latest information on snowmaking and mountain operations updates.

Why are you not opening on Friday?

Due to unseasonably warm weather experienced throughout the region over the last few weeks, only about a quarter of our snowmaking operations needed for opening were able to be completed. Snowmaking efforts are a coordinated, strategic and scientific operation. Our snowmaking team has been and continues to be available around the clock. They are constantly monitoring minute-by-minute weather and will have the snow guns cranking whenever weather conditions allow.

Why did you delay your opening?

We are dedicated to providing our guests with the best early-season conditions possible and were not able to do that for our scheduled opening date. We don’t want to sacrifice quality for speed. Keystone is typically one of the earliest resorts to open in Colorado, but due to unseasonably warm weather in October, snowmaking efforts were severely hindered. With more favorable weather on the horizon, we are now targeting Friday, Nov. 11 for opening day.

Why was an announcement regarding opening day not made sooner?

Our sophisticated snowmaking system and expert team allows us to be incredibly nimble when the ideal weather conditions materialize. In an effort to honor our published opening date, we wanted to do everything we could to try to meet that date, while still providing the best early season snow conditions. More seasonable weather was predicted to move into the region earlier this week, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case and we made an announcement as soon as it was confirmed at the resort that there would be no feasible way for us to provide a quality product for Nov. 4. With a return to more favorable weather in the forecast later this week and next, we are now targeting Friday, Nov. 11 for the resort’s opening day.

Why can’t you open with limited terrain?

While snowmaking operations did begin a couple weeks ago and we do have some snow on the ground at the summit – recent unseasonably warm temperatures throughout Colorado hampered snowmaking efforts. Keystone did not wish to compromise the quality of available terrain by opening Friday, Nov. 4.

Does the delayed opening/warm October/etc. mean that it will be a bad snow year?

Not at all. We do not see a correlation between October/early-season conditions and future snowfall or season-long snow conditions. We’ve had years with bountiful early snow and others where winter weather is a little slow to arrive but it ends up being a banner year. A little help from from Mother Nature, coupled with Keystone’s sophisticated snowmaking systems should equate to an amazing year for our guests. Winter is coming, and we’re confident it’s going to be a great one!