Granby Ranch Ski Resort will open this year on Nov. 26 for its earliest opening to date. Due to snowmaking upgrades, the resort plans to open on the day before Thanksgiving every year moving forward, management said.

“We invested heavily in our snow making equipment, really, since new ownership has stepped in,” said Brad Moss, marketing director at Granby Ranch. “

GR Terra and the affiliate GRCO, led by brothers Bob and David Glarner, purchased Granby Ranch out of foreclosure in 2021 for $29 million. 

It was previously owned by Marise Cipriani, a businesswoman who ran a Brazilian airline and meatpacking plant. Cipriani bought the ski area for $12 million in 1995 and spent 24 years developing it, ultimately facing a foreclosure lawsuit after amassing a cited $62 million in debt.

Since acquiring the property, the Glarners have poured capital into improvements, which they plan to continue into 2025 and beyond, Moss said.

Most recently, the resort’s snowmaking team installed about 10 new guns on the west mountain, he said, and the new system allows crews to monitor and activate guns remotely when temperatures drop, increasing efficiency.

In addition to snowmaking, other upgrades include a new ski patrol headquarters at the top of East Peak and “The Outpost,” a small food-and-beverage building with an outdoor deck at the summit. New rental equipment has also been replaced across all categories, including alpine skis, snowboards, Nordic skis and snowshoe gear.

“One thing our ownership likes to do is always improve,” said Gabby Lara, marketing manager at the resort. “We’ve upgraded since our new ownership, with the addition of Nordic ski rentals, snowshoe rentals, and then for the summer, mountain bikes. It’s almost pretty entirely new.”

Several larger projects are in the planning stages, the marketing team said, including a potential new lift, clubhouse and more expanded dining options.

Meanwhile, Granby Ranch continues to centralize beginner terrain and make ski school easier to access and monitor, Moss said. A 400-foot beginner conveyor remains the entry point for many first-time skiers, feeding into a cluster of learning zones close to the base lodge.

While they remain one of Colorado’s smallest ski areas by acreage, management said their focus is on reliability and incremental upgrades as part of a longer-term expansion plan.