Snow guns are blaring, mother nature has added additional snow and temperatures are cold (for the moment). So which ski resort will be the first to open in North America? Historically, the high-altitude Colorado resorts of Arapahoe Basin and Loveland are usually the first to open full-time each winter. Depending on weather, sometimes the snow-making pros at Maine's Sunday River can sometimes steal the thunder, but right now it looks like the race is between the Colorado heavyweights. So how close are they?
According to Arapahoe Basin COO and Vice President Alan Henceroth, the recent snow has helped conditions at the ski area. They saw 4-6 inches of snow on Sunday, October 12, and the snow guns are running full blast. A-Basin expects to have good snow-making conditions for at least the next 24 hours. But will this be enough to open? You decide, by looking at the latest photos, all courtesy of Arapahoe Basin:
Meanwhile, Loveland is reporting this morning that they had a great weekend of snowmaking. They received about 8 inches of new snow and the snowmaking team took advantage of low temperatures to blast the guns. So are they close? All the Loveland team will say is, "We should have more information about Opening Day later in the week." Take a look at the photos, courtesy of Loveland Ski Area and Ricoh Imaging:
Historically, mid-October has been a safe-bet for opening day in Colorado. Last year Arapahoe Basin won the contest with Loveland by opening on October 13. But our favorite meteorologist, Joel Gratz from Open Snow, says we won't see anymore natural snow in the state until the last week of October. So will Loveland and A-Basin be able to open soon? And who will win the race? Stay tuned, Curbediverse.
· Winter is Coming: Your Guide to Ski Area Opening Dates [Curbed Ski]
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· Find Never-ending Powder On This Colorado Road Trip [Curbed Ski]