It’s our main attraction, it’s what makes us popular and it’s one of the reasons we have the most athletic residents in the country. There are nearly 30 ski resorts in the state of Colorado that bring adventure and pleasure to skiers and snowboarders of all levels from around the world. Take Aspen, CO, which has been host to the Winter X Games for many years now, bringing experts, tourists and snow junkies to the lovely town.
While the Front Range hasn’t seen much snow yet, our neighbors in the mountains are already wearing their snow gear. It’s not uncommon at this time of year for residents of Boulder, Denver and the surrounding areas to get that itch and ask, “When can we shred?”
This year was a long, hot summer, and our equipment is calling begging for some rich powder. Around here, it’s a common issue and luckily, one that’s being addressed by a few slopes this month.
Yes, snow pants, your time has come. While most resorts aren’t open until late November/early December, there are a few that are starting their lifts in October.
Arapahoe Basin
A-Basin is always the first to open and the last to close and when in doubt, this is where you want to be. The mountain has more than 100 carved trails and 960 skiable acres. The locals know it as “The Legend” for its uniqueness and ability to provide a good time when other resorts are closed. It could be the fact that A-Basin is the only mountain with a “beach” in all of Colorado. The Beach is a parking lot that backs up to three ski lifts, and it’s common to see people grilling food, playing cards, throwing parties and dancing to music at the beach. Join in this weekend, the weather is perfect and the resort is open!
Loveland
The Loveland Ski Area is already open for business, so if you haven’t been before, now’s your chance. The resort has 1,800 skiable areas with a summit elevation of 13,010 feet. The resort is extremely family friendly with on-site daycare, partner skiing and a renowned ski & ride school. The resort is only 12 miles from Silverthorne and Georgetown, and headed west from Denver it’s located just before the Eisenhower Tunnel, which means you can skip a lot of afternoon traffic once the season is in full swing! It’s a setup for the perfect adventure.
Copper Mountain
Halloween marks opening day at Copper and the celebrations are definitely the place to be. Don’t worry about abandoning your Halloween traditions, there will be a costume contest! Copper is one of the larger ski resorts with 2,465 skiable acres and over 140 trails. It’s filled with shops, restaurants and activities for your entire family; spend a weekend here and soak up everything the mountain has to offer. Lifts will open at 9:00am and close at 4:00pm, so get there in time to win the costume contest and get home in time to take your little gremlins trick-or-treating!
*UPDATE: Due to warmer weather, Copper Mountain has pushed their opening back by one week.
So get out and hit the slopes before November hits and brag to everyone that you were one of the first! And when the powder starts falling back at home, contact us at GSC to take advantage of our snow removal services.
