This Ski Season Gets a Jump Start!

In the race to see which ski resorts will be the first to open, the West usually gets all of the press. This year, to the surprise of many, Killington Resort in Vermont kicked off the ski season in North America on its opening day, October 19. Ski resorts around the nation are following in their tracks, and pushing for earlier openings. So if you’ve already got your gear waxed and you’re ready to hit it this year, here’s a list of the first ski resorts to open regionally across the nation.

Photo Courtesy of AspenSnowmass
Photo Courtesy of AspenSnowmass

Northeast
El Nino’s blessed Vermont in Vermont with lots of snow and cold temperatures, which triggered Killing Resort’s snowmaking power in mid- October. The ski area was the first to open to the public this winter, making October 19 the official start of North America’s 2015-16 ski season. After a record-breaking season last year, Killington skiers are hoping to top the number of ski days and visitors they’ll get in this year. Rumor has it that Okemo Mountain Resort will open next, and most Vermont ski areas are planning for a Thanksgiving opening.

West
Next up is the West, a region not used to being second in this race. Not to be outdone by El Nino, Mother Nature unleashed cold weather and 17+ inches of snowfall on the Rockies, allowing two ski areas to open at the same time! Both Loveland and Arapahoe Basin fired off their snowmaking arsenals and started spinning their lifts on Thursday Oct 29. Keystone, Copper Mountain, Wolf Creek, and Breckenridge opened early November. Aspen opened two mountains on Nov 14 and is hosting womens FIS world Cup Thanksgiving Weekend, while Vail , Steamboat and Park City are set to open the weekend before Thanksgiving. Beaver Creek will be rocking with the Birds of Prey FIS Downhill the first weekend of December.

Southeast
With high temperatures fluctuating around the 50s and 60s, the Southeastern ski areas are hanging on an icicle; but Sugar Mountain and Cataloochee in North Carolina came through to open the region’s skiing on Nov. 14 and 15. Sugar opened with a 12” base of both natural and man-made snow, but the many thin areas forced a closure until it could start making snow again. Cataloochee is now the only ski area in the region that is open daily.

Northwest
Mount Baker Ski Area pulled a hat trick this year when a series of storms dumped more than two feet of snow, allowing for a Nov. 19 opening this year. Although Stevens Pass Resort and Crystal Mountain both have considerable snowfall for the region, warm breaks have caused them to lose some of their base, and both resorts are hoping for the best. They’ve fired up their snow machines and are hoping for an opening this week, so stay tuned.

Southwest
Typically home to the longest ski season in New Mexico, Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort opened on Nov. 17. This is the 13th year in a row that the resort was the state’s first to open. Southwesters are hoping for a strong season, and enjoyed one of the best openings in decades, already calling it a “Godzilla” El Nino year for the region. The sleepers of the region, Ski Santa Fe and Taos Ski Valley are both to set to open for the season on Thanksgiving Day, with Ski Sante Fe boasting nearly 60 inches of snowfall so far, with another 35 or so coming.

Canada
Let’s not forget our northern  neighbors! Banff’s Mt. Norquay (of the SkiBig3 resorts), kicked off its 90th season double on November 5, being the first ski resort to open in Canada. In the B.C, Big White Resort opened Nov. 13 – two weeks sooner than expected – and is the resort’s earliest opening since the 2001-2002 season. Whistler-Blackcomb Resort opened Nov. 13, and Blackcomb Mountain plans to open on Nov. 26. Further East, Mt. Tremblant also plans for a Nov. 26 opening.

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