The countdown to skiing on an Ikon Pass in the United States is officially down to 50 days.
Ikon Pass posted an updated list of tentative 2026-27 opening dates on Sept. 17, and Copper Mountain remains first among U.S. destinations with an announced date.
Copper is scheduled to open Nov. 6, followed a week later by Mammoth Mountain and Eldora on Nov. 13. From there, the calendar fills quickly, with Sunday River, Stratton, Alta, Solitude, Steamboat and several other mountains all targeting openings before Thanksgiving.
The interesting part is that skiing could begin even sooner.
Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, Killington and Brighton are among the notable Ikon destinations still listed as TBA. If cold weather arrives early enough for snowmaking, one of those mountains could jump ahead of Copper.
Ikon says all of the dates on its 2026-27 opening calendar are tentative and subject to change, so weather will ultimately decide how the season unfolds.
Copper Mountain Currently Leads the U.S. Calendar
Copper Mountain is targeting Friday, Nov. 6, currently the earliest scheduled opening among U.S. Ikon Pass destinations.
That date is exactly 50 days from Sept. 17.
Unofficial Networks recently covered Copper Mountain announcing its Nov. 6 opening day, which puts the Colorado resort on the same opening date as nearby Breckenridge.
Copper has plenty planned shortly after the lifts begin spinning. The Stifel Copper Cup is scheduled for Nov. 28-29, bringing World Cup alpine racing back to the mountain only three weeks after opening day.
Whether Copper actually becomes the first Ikon destination open in the United States remains a different question.
Arapahoe Basin and Winter Park have not announced dates, and both have the elevation and snowmaking capability to become factors in the annual early-season race.
Mammoth Mountain and Eldora Follow on Nov. 13
One week after Copper, Ikon skiing is scheduled to expand to California and another part of Colorado.
Mammoth Mountain and Eldora are both listed for Nov. 13.
Mammoth has already scheduled its traditional opening-day celebration, with lifts expected to begin turning at 8:30 a.m. and the annual first-chair festivities planned around Broadway Express.
The Eastern Sierra resort has historically been one of California’s most reliable early openers thanks to its high elevation and substantial snowmaking infrastructure.
The East Joins the Calendar Days Later
Sunday River currently has the earliest announced date among Eastern U.S. Ikon destinations.
The Maine resort is listed for Nov. 15.
Stratton follows on Nov. 18.
Both mountains have substantial snowmaking operations, and Sunday River in particular has a history of taking advantage of early cold spells. An announced date in November does not necessarily prevent a mountain from opening sooner if conditions allow.
Killington remains one of the biggest Eastern wild cards because Ikon still lists its opening date as TBA.
Loon Mountain in New Hampshire is also TBA.
Nov. 20 and 21 Bring the First Big Wave
The current U.S. Ikon calendar becomes much busier on Friday, Nov. 20.
Alta Ski Area, Solitude Mountain Resort and Sugarloaf are all targeting that day.
Alta has already scheduled Nov. 20 as the opening of its 89th winter, conditions permitting. The resort currently expects Collins and Sunnyside to operate, and Ikon Passes will be accepted on opening day.
Solitude has also confirmed Nov. 20 as its target, with lifts scheduled to begin spinning during its annual opening-day celebration.
One day later, Nov. 21, the map expands substantially.
Steamboat, Sugarbush, Granite Peak, Lutsen Mountains and Snowriver Mountain Resort are all listed for Nov. 21.
Steamboat has already put its opening-day celebration on the calendar, with festivities beginning at 7:30 a.m. and lifts scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m.
The Midwest names are particularly interesting this season. Ikon significantly expanded its footprint in the region for 2026-27.
Thanksgiving Week Is When Ikon Skiing Really Takes Off
By Thanksgiving week, the list of operating U.S. destinations could get much longer.
Nov. 25 currently includes:
Palisades Tahoe, California
Big Sky Resort, Montana
Snowshoe, West Virginia
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, brings another group of major destination resorts:
Aspen Mountain, Colorado
Snowmass, Colorado
Sun Valley, Idaho
Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
Then comes one of the busiest dates on the entire schedule.
Nov. 27 currently includes Crystal Mountain in Washington, Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Schweitzer in Idaho, and Snowbasin and Snowbird in Utah.
Alyeska Resort in Alaska follows on Nov. 28.
If weather cooperates, that Thanksgiving stretch should be the point when Ikon Pass holders have major destination options across much of the western United States.
December Adds Deer Valley and More
A handful of major U.S. Ikon destinations are deliberately targeting December.
Mt. Bachelor plans to open Dec. 4.
Deer Valley follows Dec. 5.
The Highlands in Michigan and Pico in Vermont are both listed for Dec. 11.
Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk are scheduled for Dec. 12.
June Mountain in California currently rounds out the announced U.S. calendar with a Dec. 19 opening.
The Biggest Wild Cards Still Do Not Have Dates
The TBA list may be just as interesting as the announced dates.
As of Ikon’s Sept. 17 update, these U.S. destinations still do not have an opening date:
Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
Bear Mountain, California
Blue Mountain Resort, Pennsylvania
Boyne Mountain, Michigan
Brighton, Utah
Camelback Resort, Pennsylvania
Killington, Vermont
Loon Mountain, New Hampshire
Sierra-at-Tahoe, California
Snow Summit, California
Snow Valley, California
The Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington
Winter Park, Colorado
Arapahoe Basin may be the most interesting name on that list.
Unofficial Networks previously covered A-Basin becoming an unlimited destination on the Ikon Base Pass for 2026-27. Its opening day could therefore matter to considerably more Ikon skiers this winter.
A-Basin, Winter Park and Killington also appeared prominently in our recent look at the race to become one of the first ski areas open this season.
All three could theoretically beat the first dates currently printed on Ikon’s calendar.
Current U.S. Ikon Opening Dates
Here is the U.S. schedule from Ikon’s Sept. 17 update:
Nov. 6: Copper Mountain, Colorado
Nov. 13: Mammoth Mountain, California; Eldora, Colorado
Nov. 15: Sunday River, Maine
Nov. 18: Stratton, Vermont
Nov. 20: Alta, Utah; Solitude, Utah; Sugarloaf, Maine
Nov. 21: Steamboat, Colorado; Sugarbush, Vermont; Granite Peak, Wisconsin; Lutsen Mountains, Minnesota; Snowriver Mountain Resort, Michigan
Nov. 25: Palisades Tahoe, California; Big Sky, Montana; Snowshoe, West Virginia
Nov. 26: Aspen Mountain, Colorado; Snowmass, Colorado; Sun Valley, Idaho; Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
Nov. 27: Crystal Mountain, Washington; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Schweitzer, Idaho; Snowbasin, Utah; Snowbird, Utah
Nov. 28: Alyeska, Alaska
Dec. 4: Mt. Bachelor, Oregon
Dec. 5: Deer Valley, Utah
Dec. 11: The Highlands, Michigan; Pico, Vermont
Dec. 12: Aspen Highlands, Colorado; Buttermilk, Colorado
Dec. 19: June Mountain, California
Every date remains tentative and dependent on snow, snowmaking, weather and mountain conditions.
Fifty Days Could Become Considerably Less
For now, the countdown stands at 50 days.
Copper Mountain has the first scheduled U.S. Ikon opening on Nov. 6, with Mammoth and Eldora following only a week later.
But the mountains without dates are what make the next several weeks interesting.
If October brings sustained cold to Colorado, Vermont or Utah, the first Ikon Pass scan of the 2026-27 U.S. ski season could arrive well before Nov. 6.
