North America’s ski season has started after a heavy snowfall in the Rockies gave a nice fresh snow covering at high altitude resorts in Colorado where snowmaking had already been underway for a few weeks to build a base.
Keystone resort was the first to announce it would be opening, later today (Saturday 12th October), but at that point Arapahoe Basin, which had previously been coy about its own opening day, said it would open at 3.30pm on Friday 11th for a few hours so that it could take the title of first in the US to open.
A third high-altitude Colorado ski area, Loveland, earlier announced that it wouldn’t open this weekend.
“The race to be the first to open in Colorado and the country is always a treat. Vail has announced that Keystone is opening tomorrow. I know Loveland is right on their tail. Congratulations to both resorts,” commented Arapahoe Basin’s manager Alan Henceroth yesterday afternoon Colorado-time, “We are proud to announce that we will open Black Mountain Express today, Friday, October 11, from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.”
The battle between Keystone and Arapahoe Basin to open first has an added dimension this year as two big American corporations are doing battle to get hundreds of thousands of people to buy their multi-resort season passes. Vail, which owns Keystone, are selling their Epic pass, whilst Arapahoe Basin, which was previously included in the Epic Pass, decided to switch this year to the rival Ikon pass run by the Alterra Group.
As no ski area is currently open in Canada, Arapoahoe Basin is also the first in North America to open for the 19-20 season.
Opening day 2019!
Posted by Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on Friday, 11 October 2019
