After a fresh dusting of snow appeared Monday on some of Colorado’s highest peaks — triggering reminders that Coloradans may be skiing and snowboarding in two months — Vail Resorts announced projected opening dates for its five Colorado resorts.
Keystone is listed as “mid-October,” and is likely to compete with Arapahoe Basin and Loveland for Colorado’s first tracks of the season. All three typically open in October, offering skiing and riding thanks to determined snowmaking efforts.
Breckenridge and Vail are slated to open on Nov. 11, while Beaver Creek and Crested Butte plan to open on Nov. 23, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. All dates listed are subject to weather that could move them earlier or later.
Vail Resorts also announced that it will be capping daily lift ticket sales this season at all 37 resorts “in order to prioritize the guest experience at each mountain.” The Broomfield-based company received considerable criticism last year, especially in early season, because of overcrowded slopes and a public perception that it “over-sold” season ticket passes.
“Limiting lift tickets is one way we’re focused on delivering a great guest experience this season, and that’s in addition to investments we’re making into the on-mountain experience and into working toward a fully staffed team,” said Vail Resorts spokeswoman Lindsay Hogan, citing 18 new lifts company wide and $175 million invested in employee needs, including raises and affordable housing. In Colorado, Vail and Breckenridge will gain new lifts.
Season ticket holders will not be affected by the restriction on daily lift ticket sales.
Cameras maintained by the city of Colorado Springs on the summit of Pikes Peak showed an inch or two of snow. According to National Weather Service meteorologists, Monday’s fresh snowfall was not substantial and it fell mostly on high peaks.
“It’s not really that big of a deal, getting snow at the end of August on top of a fourteener,” said Mark Wankowski, a meteorologist at the weather service’s Pueblo office. “It just happens this time of year.”
