Flakes have been a鈥檉lying in the high country this week, with substantial snowfall recorded in the mountains of Colorado, Utah, Montana, and even New York. That, plus snowguns blowing at all possible hours, means that the 2023-’24 season is within a pole鈥檚 reach and the race to open has begun.
Here鈥檚 how it鈥檚 looking at a handful of ski areas across the U.S.
Gallery: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Ski Season
Keystone Resort, Colo.
- Opening Day: ASAP
Keystone doesn鈥檛 set an opening day months ahead of time like the other Vail Resorts ski areas, but instead plans to open as soon as conditions allow. With this week鈥檚 low temperatures, the snowmaking crew was able to get things up and running, and also enjoyed a little help from 脺llr, who dropped a few inches on the resort, to boot.
Loveland Ski Area, Colo.
- Opening Day: Nov. 3
It was looking pretty wintry at Loveland this week thanks to the dual affects of the snowstorm and the snowguns.
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Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe. Nev.
- Opening Day: Nov. 9
OK, this isn鈥檛 natural snow, but the resort was able to start making snow at the summit over the last week thanks to cooling temps.
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Vail Mountain, Colo.
- Opening Day: Nov. 10
Vail came out a winner in this early storm, notching between 13 and 15 inches across the slopes. That, plus snowmaking efforts, make for a mountain that seems pretty skiable from the looks of it. But we will wait 鈥 impatiently.
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Copper Mountain, Colo.
- Opening Day: Nov. 13
Would you just at the perfect fall snow day colors? With peak autumn colors still hanging around the Colorado high country, this week鈥檚 storm is the icing on the cake for skiers eager to set an edge.
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Alta Ski Area, Utah
- Opening Day: Nov. 17
This is from last week when a small system moved through the Wasatch, dropping a couple inches on Alta and its neighbors in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.聽
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Purgatory Mountain Resort, Colo.
- Opening Day: Nov. 18
A beautiful dusting over southern Colorado San Juan鈥檚 dressed the slopes of Purgatory in its winter whites, even if only for a little while.
Big Sky, Mont.
- Opening Day: Nov. 22
Big Sky is looking pretty after a new storm left a few inches in its wake this week. Bonus: This wasn鈥檛 even Big Sky鈥檚 first substantial snowfall of the season. That arrived in late September.
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Whiteface Mountain, N.Y.
- Opening Day: Nov. 24
It鈥檚 early for an East Coast mountain to have seen its first snowfall, but Whiteface is living up to its name with an early blast of winter that dropped a few on the Lake Placid resort earlier this week.