Winter Park Resort is officially calling it a season this Sunday, May 18 as the resort prepares to shut down the Mary Jane side of the mountain.

The resort received nearly 370 inches of snowfall and was open for over 27 weeks this season, according to resort spokesperson Jen Miller. That’s 52% of the entire year. The ski resort opened on a snowy Nov. 8 and the Winter Park side of the resort ended operations on April 27 with a pond skim celebration.

“Thanks to Winter Park’s unique location and weather patterns, it holds snow on Mary Jane well into May each spring. That means we get to access and ski more than 1,000 acres of late-season open terrain, from 9,000 feet at our base up to 12,000 feet at our summit,” Miller said.

Riders and skiers will have until the weekend to enjoy the final days of spring skiing at Mary Jane side of before the lifts stop spinning on Sunday. On Saturday, the resort is hosting one final spring party at Jane Beach.

“As we bid winter good-bye, we’re excited to welcome summer soon. Winter Park is planning to kick-off summer activities in mid-June or as soon as conditions allow,” Miller said.

The world-famous Trestle Bike Park is scheduled to open June 13. One of of the world’s largest downhill mountain biking parks, the chairlift-serviced area features over 40 miles of meticulously-maintained, gravity-fed trails.

A pivotal year for Winter Park Resort

It was an busy and memorable year for Winter Park Resort with lots of changes in store.

This season saw a huge increase in use of the Winter Park Express, a seasonal train service that departs from downtown Denver and brings riders directly to the resort. In addition to more frequent service, fares were dropped in price, leading to more than 41,000 bookings this season compared to 16,000 bookings last season. The express offered regular five-day-a-week service from Thursdays through Mondays from Jan. 9 until March 31.

On the flip side, mechanical problems afflicted some lifts this season. In one instance, mechanical problems led to a total evacuation of passengers.

On Dec. 21, 2024, Winter Park Resort’s gondola lift malfunctioned, which led to about 182 passengers needing to be evacuated by ski patrol over the course of five hours. A cracked metal support, identified as the source of the issue, was replaced and the gondola miraculously opened up again just a few days later on Dec. 23, 2024. The Hi Lonesome Express lift was put out of service for maintenance on Jan. 18 and began spinning again on Feb. 12 after repairs were made.

At least 13 people died after crashes or heart attacks on Colorado’s ski slopes this season, according to the Colorado Sun. Two people died at Winter Park Resort this season.

On Jan. 26, a skier was reported overdue after failing to catch the ski train. The body of Jacob Arellano of Lakewood was found partially buried in a wooded area adjacent to the Mary Jane mountain the same day authorities were alerted.

Then on March 18, a 20-year-old from Kansas died after hitting a tree on Lupin, an intermediate/advanced trail, which leads to Lunch Rock on the Mary Jane side of the resort. He was identified as Andrew “AJ.” McDonald, according to the Johnson County Post.