With the highest alpine areas in United States starting to see some dustings of snow and the weather beginning to cool down quite significantly, it’s about time we ask the most important question heading into the fall. Which ski area will open first? There are plenty of options, most of which are in Colorado, but you might be surprised by a few of them.
Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
As with every year, Arapahoe Basin has not announced a set opening date. Instead, they’ll start spinning their lifts as early as they can. Last year, opening day was on November 2nd. The ski area has seen openings as early as October 9th, but I wouldn’t anticipate that for this season.
Keystone Resort, Colorado
Like Arapahoe Basin, and all of the resorts on this list, frankly, Keystone Resort has not announced an opening date for the 2025 ski season. Right now they state that they’re opening for mid-to-late October or early November, but it all depends on conditions.
Loveland Ski Area, Colorado
Loveland Ski Area, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin have long been locked in a competition for the first to open, and that’ll no doubt be true this year. Loveland’s earliest opening date in history came on September 30th, 1951, though I certainly wouldn’t expect that this year. Their 10-year average has the ski area starting the season on October 27th.
Wolf Creek Ski Area, Colorado
Wolf Creek is no stranger to the early openings and can occasionally swing in with a surprise opening weekend far earlier than anyone else. In 2018, the southern Colorado ski area opened on October 13th, marking their second earliest opening in their history.
Sunday River Resort, Maine
This one is usually a lot less likely than the other four, and even if it does open first, it’s usually just for a brief stint. If all of the other resorts don’t open until November, at Sunday River chooses to open for a day on Halloween like they did last year, they will be the first resort to open for the 2025/26 season in the U.S., but it will likely be for just a day. Not sure if that counts.
