Colorado ski resorts are making progress toward opening day as snowmaking crews take advantage of colder temperatures across Summit County. Local legend Trailer Tom visited Loveland Ski Area, Arapahoe Basin, and Keystone Resort to check out their snowmaking progress late last week, visiting the mountains between October 15th and 16th.
His recent video shows the developing snow coverage and early lift preparation at all three resorts. There’s still some ways to go, but the mountains are certainly starting to look like winter.
Loveland Builds Snow Coverage Overnight
Loveland Ski Area made noticeable progress across its Valley and Basin areas, with snow guns running overnight as temperatures dropped. Trailer Tom reported a temperature of 22 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday morning, October 16th, providing favorable conditions for continued snowmaking.
Snowmaking was visible around Lift 2 and the Jetstream area, as well as throughout Loveland Valley. Although natural snowfall had dusted nearby peaks, warmer temperatures the previous afternoon had reduced the remaining snow coverage in exposed areas.
Arapahoe Basin Continues Snowmaking on Lower High Noon
Arapahoe Basin also made progress during overnight snowmaking operations, with active snow guns visible across multiple sections of the mountain. Lower High Noon was among the trails receiving coverage, while snowmaking continued at higher elevations. Trailer Tom noted that the coverage remained thin, meaning additional snowmaking and favorable temperatures will be necessary before the mountain is ready to open.
Keystone Makes Progress on the Upper Mountain
Keystone Resort continued making snow on select upper-mountain runs, although the River Run Village base area remained largely snow-free. Heavy frost covered parts of the village during Trailer Tom’s Friday morning visit.
The Summit Express chairlift also underwent a test spin, providing another sign of preseason preparations moving forward. Keystone has frequently opened with upper-mountain terrain before expanding operations, though the resort has managed top-to-bottom openings early in the season in some years.
Other Colorado Mountains Begin Snowmaking
These three resorts aren’t the only three that have begun snowmaking. Trailer Tom reported signs of snowmaking at Copper Mountain and Breckenridge during his tour of Summit County. Both of those mountains have confirmed the start of snowmaking on their social media pages. Additional mountains around the state, including Vail and Winter Park, have also confirmed the start of hte process.
If all continues to go well, the Colorado ski season could very well begin before the end of October. Of course it depends heavily on weather and temperature conditions over the coming weeks. Fingers crossed for an early start!