Let’s face it, skiing on Thanksgiving probably isn’t the best thing you should be doing. For any open mountain, it’s still fairly season and there’s a good chance there isn’t much open. Plus, you probably have friends or family who’d like to see you on the holiday, rather than knowing you’re out there sliding around on snow. But skiing on Thanksgiving still sounds pretty great to us.
There are plenty of ski resorts across North America that are already open going into Thanksgiving. A huge number of Colorado resorts are open and many Utah resorts are already spinning their lifts. But the more open resorts the merrier as far as I’m concerned. Fortunately two ski resorts, Snowbird and Telluride, are opening on Thanksgiving day to expand the open resort list.
Snowbird, Utah
Snowbird has seen 12 inches of new snowfall in the past 24 hours, bringing their season total up to 76 inches. If no more snow comes, and no snow melts, the Little Cottonwood Canyon resort will open with a 30 inch base depth. Opening day will include the grand opening of the new Wilbere lift, with an exclusive number of limited edition commemorative shirts being handed out.
The Aerial Tram, Wilbere, Gadzoom, and Chickadee will all open at 9am on Thanksgiving Day, offering beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain. The Ariel Tram closes at 3:45pm, Wilbere and Gadzoom at 4pm, and Chickadee at 5pm.
Telluride, Colorado
Telluride has seen 10 inches of snowfall throughout the past 24 hours, bringing their season total to 62″ and their base depth to 25″. Opening day at the resort will be accessed by Village Express (lift #4) and Station San Sophia, with both opening at 9am on Thursday.
Open terrain will include Village Bypass, Upper Misty Maiden, and Lower Boomerange, while Lower Double Cabins will open from the Town of Mountain Village Market to the base of Lift 1 and Lift 10. If things go well with extra snowmaking efforts, grooming, and patrolling, the Meadows run could open in the mid-morning. A Rail Garden on Lower Misty Maiden will be open at 9am as well.