Those who live in Summit County know how serious the race to be the first ski area to open for the season is.

Every fall, ski areas begin blowing snow, preparing the slopes for the first turns of the season. Typically, the race comes down to a few resorts, including several from Summit County.

For a few hours on Saturday, Oct. 25, it appeared Arapahoe Basin Ski Area would be the first to open in Colorado, but later in the day Keystone announced it would open for three hours on Saturday afternoon.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the ski industry, spurring eager skiers and riders to unearth their gear and race to the mountains. 

Even though Keystone announced it was opening about 90 minutes before spinning its lifts, people came out in droves to get their first runs of the season in. 

At the front of the line for the River Run Gondola were several first-chair veterans. Going by the names Trailer Tom and Nate Dogggg, the duo of riders claimed to have earned their 33rd consecutive first chair of the season by getting in line at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Both riders were not certain coming into the morning if A-Basin or Keystone would open up first, but were ready for whatever happened.

“We have been here since 8 a.m., but we have been checking out the spot for about a week as well as A-Basin,” Nate Dogggg said. “We just got our attack plan ready. We saw some pretty big smiles this morning. A little more than employees usually smile. So we thought something was going on.”

Nate Dogggg and Trailer Tom were joined by several other excited guests on the first gondola ride up the mountain, including Disco Darren and Summit County locals Bode Kier and Zander Davidson.

Once skiers and riders reached the top of Dercum Mountain, they enjoyed more than two miles of tree-to-tree terrain along the Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon trails. At the bottom of the Montezuma Express lift, guests had the option to ride the gondola back to the base or hop back on the lift for another lap.

Although the snow was quite soft, due to temperatures hanging in the upper 40’s, skiers and riders soaked in the opportunity to link October turns.

Keystone vice president and general manager Shannon Buhler credited the resort’s entire team for its ability to open at a moment’s notice on Saturday afternoon.

“I have a ton of pride in the fact that our team came together and worked together to make it happen,” Buhler said. “As I said to the crowd when we first got here, it is the team that did it. When they said we were ready, we were truly ready. It was a great product that we know our guests expect here. It feels amazing to get kicked off in October and start the ski season.”

Growing up in Summit County herself, Buhler viewed Keystone’s surprise opening day as a sort of thank you to Summit County locals.

“Today is a lot about being a community day — whether you are from the Front Range or here local in Summit County,” Buhler said. “We opened once we were ready and it just so happened to be kind of a last-minute decision. The smiling faces, the hoops, the horrays, it feels so good to be open.

Keystone’s first full day of the season will be on Sunday, Oct. 26. The resort will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.and the day will include music, free donuts and hot coffee.

 Keystone will now operate seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., with night skiing available until 7 p.m. on select Fridays, Saturdays and holidays, starting on Thanksgiving.

In order to expand its terrain offering, Keystone’s snowmaking teams will continue to make snow whenever the weather allows. During early season operations uphill access remains closed and once open, will be permitted only on designated routes before and after lift operating hours. More information is available via the resort’s safety page.  

For more information, visit KeystoneResort.com.