The first real storm hits Colorado's ski country, and Keystone is already selling tickets for Oct. 24. Where the race to open stands after a record-bad winter

DENVER — Colorado’s first significant storm of the 2026-27 season reached the high country on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and the race to open the state’s first ski lift is now a matter of cold nights and snow guns. Keystone has already put lift tickets on sale for Saturday, Oct. 24, while Arapahoe Basin says only that it will open “ASAP.” No Colorado ski area had lifts turning for skiers as of Oct. 14.

The stakes are higher than in a typical October. Last winter was the worst in decades for Colorado skiing, and resorts, mountain towns and the businesses that depend on them are looking for an early, reliable start.

When will Colorado ski resorts open this year?

Only a few dates are firm. According to a GearJunkie roundup of announced plans, Vail Resorts is targeting Nov. 6 for Breckenridge, Nov. 13 for Vail Mountain and Nov. 25 for Beaver Creek and Crested Butte. On the Ikon side, Copper Mountain is set for Nov. 6, Eldora for Nov. 13, Steamboat for Nov. 21 and Aspen Mountain and Snowmass for Nov. 26, with Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk following on Dec. 12.

The earliest openers have not committed. Keystone and Arapahoe Basin both list opening as soon as conditions allow. Men’s Journal reported on Oct. 14 that Keystone is selling Oct. 24 day tickets at $124 for adults and $81 for ages 5 to 12, but that ticket sales do not guarantee the lifts will run. The same report noted that as of Oct. 14, Keystone, A-Basin and Loveland had not announced the start of snowmaking. Forecast service OnTheSnow projects Oct. 24 for A-Basin and Oct. 30 for Winter Park, but those are projections, not resort announcements.

Loveland has not announced a date either. Colorado Public Radio reported that the ski area’s five-year average opening day is Nov. 5.

How much snow did this week’s storm bring?

Forecasters described it as the season’s first meaningful mountain snow. OpenSnow meteorologist Joel Gratz on Oct. 14 forecast 6 to 12 inches at higher elevations in the most favored areas from Wednesday night into Thursday. A SnowBrains forecast published Oct. 13 called for 7 to 9 inches at Arapahoe Basin and 6 to 8 inches at Loveland, Winter Park and Steamboat through Friday, with snow levels falling to roughly 7,500 to 8,000 feet and overnight temperatures dropping into the teens and 20s.

Those cold nights matter as much as the snowfall. Early openings in Summit County are built mostly on machine-made snow, and snowmaking needs sustained subfreezing temperatures. The same forecast called for a dry, warmer stretch from Friday through the weekend, with mountain highs back in the 40s, before a possible return of moisture around Oct. 21 to 24.

Why this season matters after last winter

The 2025-26 season was historically poor. Colorado Ski Country USA’s preliminary count put statewide skier visits at 10.5 million, down 24% from 13.9 million the season before, according to SAM Magazine. Resorts averaged 129 days open compared with a 20-year average of 144, and the total was the lowest since 1991-92.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service reported that on Jan. 1, 2026, statewide snowpack stood at 56% of median, with record lows at 38% of long-record measurement sites. Colorado State University historian Michael Childers told Rocky Mountain Community Radio it was “the worst snow season in recorded history in Colorado.” The same report noted that high-country water remains below normal, which could limit snowmaking at resorts without senior water rights or purchased supplies.

Will El Niño bring a big snow year?

The outlook is encouraging but not a promise. The federal Climate Prediction Center’s Oct. 8 update kept an El Niño advisory in place, with sea-surface temperatures in the key Niño-3.4 region 2.1°C above normal and a greater than 83% chance of a strong-to-very-strong event through January-March 2027.

Experts quoted by Rocky Mountain Community Radio said the effects will likely vary across Colorado, so the San Juans and the northern mountains may not share the same winter, and they cautioned that even a good year is unlikely to erase the drought on its own. History is mixed: a forecast pattern is a tilt in the odds, not a snow total.

What ski pass deadlines are left?

The fall price deadlines for the two biggest multi-resort passes have passed. Vail Resorts raised the adult Epic Pass to $1,169 and the Epic Local Pass to $869 after Oct. 7, and Alterra lifted the adult Ikon Pass to $1,529 and the Ikon Base Pass to $1,099 after Oct. 8, according to pass-tracking site EpicOrIkon. Its Ikon tracker expects passes to go off sale in early December, though neither company had published a final sales date in the material reviewed.

At those prices the math depends on days skied. A rough rule: divide the pass price by the number of days realistically planned and compare it with advance-purchase day tickets at the resorts most likely to be visited, remembering that early-season terrain is limited and that last winter ran about two weeks shorter than average.

For skiers who expect to ride only a handful of days, local passes and day tickets bought well in advance may still be the better value. Loveland, which is not part of either major pass, published 2026-27 adult season passes at $599 in its spring sale, according to the ski area’s release; current pricing should be confirmed on its site.

What it means for mountain businesses

For lodges, rental shops, restaurants and ski schools along Interstate 70, the first weeks of operation are a cash-flow bridge between summer and the holiday rush. After a season that ran about two weeks shorter than average, operators have reason to plan conservatively.

• Staff to the date, not the forecast. Early-season terrain is usually limited to a few man-made runs, which draws locals and pass holders more than destination visitors.
• Keep booking terms flexible. Opening dates at Keystone and A-Basin depend on temperatures, and resorts have said dates can move.
• Watch water. Below-normal reservoirs can slow snowmaking expansion even when it is cold enough.
• Market the shoulder season. Diversified summer and fall offerings have helped resorts and towns offset bad snow years, Rocky Mountain Community Radio reported.

What to watch next

The next signals are the snowmaking announcements from Keystone, A-Basin and Loveland, and whether cold nights after this storm hold long enough to build a base on their opening runs. Forecasters are watching for another round of moisture around Oct. 21 to 24. Beyond opening day, the Climate Prediction Center’s next monthly El Niño update in November and the first NRCS snowpack reports of the water year will show whether Colorado is building toward a recovery season or another thin one.