Colorado is likely days away from the first ski resort opening, but a streak of warmer weather this week slowed progress on snowmaking.

OpenSnow Founding Meteorologist Joel Gratz, in a blog post Friday, Oct. 23, described recent snowmaking conditions as “marginal,” though he noted teams at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Keystone Resort and Loveland Ski Area have made some progress toward opening.

All three ski areas aim to open “as soon as possible.” Keystone, which had previously posted lift tickets for sale beginning Oct. 24, now lists its first lift tickets for sale on Oct. 31 — though it hasn’t announced an official opening.

Gratz was not also optimistic that Colorado would see its first ski resort open this weekend. He said snowmaking conditions aren’t forecasted to be ideal through the weekend, but could improve next week.

“In terms of a ski area spinning a lift for the public, maybe that will happen in the next week or two,” Gratz wrote.

Projected 2026-27 opening dates

Winter Park Resort – ASAP

Breckenridge Ski Resort – Friday, Nov. 6

Copper Mountain – Friday, Nov. 6

Vail Mountain – Friday, Nov. 13

Steamboat Resort – Saturday, Nov. 21

Beaver Creek Resort – Wednesday, Nov. 25

Aspen-Snowmass – Thursday, Nov. 26

Last year, Keystone scooped A-Basin to become the first to open for the season with a same-day announcement that it would open for the afternoon on Oct. 25, just after A-Basin had announced an Oct. 26 opening. Once again, the two neighboring ski areas appear to be neck and neck in the snowmaking race.

A-Basin, Keystone and Loveland all fired up their snow guns about a week and a half ago around Oct. 14, when a snowstorm brought a light layer of snow and colder temperatures. Many other Colorado ski resorts, including Winter Park Resort, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Vail Mountain and Beaver Creek Resort, have also started snowmaking.

A-Basin Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth, in a blog post on Saturday, Oct. 17, described a “great session” of snowmaking with the guns running for about 52 of the previous 60 hours. Henceroth said the ski area took “major steps” toward opening High Noon, a blue run from mid-mountain to the base.

On Sunday, Oct. 18, Henceroth hiked up High Noon, describing “lots of snow” and teasing “I could have skied it.”  But come Monday, he described waiting for cold weather, and hasn’t updated his blog since.

A-Basin communications manager Shayna Silverman said in a statement Friday, Oct. 23, that the snowmaking teams are “all queued up to go whenever conditions present themselves” and that the “energy is high” as the season approaches.

“Our snowmaking team is eyeing some upcoming forecasts, but not much to report until those temperatures drop,” Silverman said.

Keystone also showed good progress on snowmaking through about Oct. 18, posting photos and drone footage on social media of some of its 60 high-tech snow guns throwing snow throughout the cold snap.

But this past week has been warmer, with conditions that did not allow for nearly as much snowmaking. Ski resorts prefer cold, dry weather for snowmaking and look for “wet bulb” temperatures — or a combination of ambient temperatures and humidity — around 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Keystone posted a picture of a “snow whale,” or a pile of man-made snow, but the snow gun in the background was not firing amid blue, sunny weather. But Keystone communications manager Jacob Freeman Marquardt said in a statement Friday, Oct. 23, that “the forecast over the coming days looks promising.”