Ski / Getaway · Mon, Oct 19, 2026 · Statewide
The race to open is on
Snow guns are firing in Summit County and on the Divide. Here is where Colorado ski season stood in mid-October, and which dates are still not official.
As of the reporting behind our Oct 19 note, this is where the race to open stood. Resorts can call an opening with about a day's notice. If you want first chair, follow the mountain.
Keystone was aiming to open "as soon as possible in October," per Vail Resorts. Lift tickets were on sale for Saturday, Oct 24, and SnowBrains reported that Keystone said that sale was not an official opening date. Unused tickets could be moved or refunded. Because Oct 24 was not a confirmed opening, it is not on our calendar as one.
Arapahoe Basin had snowmaking underway and was opening as soon as conditions allowed, with no firm date. Colorado Ski Country USA described it the same way.
Loveland started snowmaking Oct 14, its 60th year of snowmaking, and was targeting late October to early November. That is a window, not a day, so it stays off the dated calendar until the resort names one.
Copper Mountain and Breckenridge were scheduled for Nov 6. Vail was scheduled for Nov 13. Those three are on the calendar.
Our honest advice from that Monday note still holds: do not treat a ticket on sale as an opening announcement.