Temperatures in the 30s were widespread across the Colorado high country Tuesday morning, and snow has fallen in many locations. That means it’s time for snowmaking to begin, and at least three Colorado ski areas are doing so, in hopes of opening later this month.
Arapahoe Basin began making snow on Sept. 23 while Loveland and Copper Mountain turned on the snow guns overnight Tuesday. Loveland wasn’t able to make snow last year until Oct. 12.
“It’s starting to look and feel like winter at Loveland,” Loveland’s chief operating officer, Rob Goodell, said in a news release. “Our snowmaking team capitalized on the cold weather, and we’re off to a great start. The forecast is calling for cold temperatures through the week, and we will make snow as conditions permit. We look forward to skiing with everyone very soon.”
Arapahoe Basin has been the first Front Range ski area to open in eight of the past 10 years, usually followed by Loveland. In 2015, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland opened on the same day (Oct. 29). Over the past 10 years, the average opening date for Arapahoe Basin was Oct. 20. The earliest was Oct. 11, in 2019.
Keystone has been in the mix for opening day honors since 2019 and has opened in October three of the past four years. Keystone received a dusting of snow overnight but is not yet making snow.
“Right now, at our lower elevation, our team is not yet seeing the sustained cold temperatures necessary for our snowmaking to build a sustained base layer,” said Keystone spokesman Max Winter.
