The race for opening day is on

[4aprice]

Loveland and A Basin reported 4-6 inches of new snow combined with snowmaking efforts - mother nature helping out!

I'll have to call my son and see if he's hyper ventilating. Between you and another friend out in Silverthorne splashing pictures all over facebook its looking promising for opening soon. Be careful on I-70. With having much fewer then normal days last season his stoke must be off the charts.

I would like to start in mid November and have a lot to get done before then so the 45 day wait or warm fall (predicted) here in the east will not bother me. I hoping another prediction comes true and that is leaf drop comes early this year so I can get rid of them and button down for the winter. Then skiing!

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[benski]

View attachment 20768

4 inches have fallen since this pic was snapped yesterday. The WROD race continues

Looks like they are about to open. I think I would ski that if I lived near there.

 

[dlague]

Loveland is looking good!

 

[skiNEwhere]

Looks like they are about to open. I think I would ski that if I lived near there.

Not quite yet. Pics can be deceiving, they won't open high noon (the run with snow in that pic) until they've established an 18 inch base, and have also covered the top and bottom terminal including the lift line queue.

 

[skiNEwhere]

From their webcam taken today 5:15 PM MDT

 

[dlague]

Not quite yet. Pics can be deceiving, they won't open high noon (the run with snow in that pic) until they've established an 18 inch base, and have also covered the top and bottom terminal including the lift line queue.

Same as Loveland - They posted that as well. Unlike back east where they open with minimal base.

 

[Jully]

Is there any particular reason they do such a deep base? Are crowds substantially worse? Or is it just policy?

 

[dlague]

Is there any particular reason they do such a deep base? Are crowds substantially worse? Or is it just policy?

My guess to make sure the base withstands periods of warm ups and crowds too. It takes one dirt spot to speed up melting here because the sun is so strong.

 

[steamboat1]

Is there any particular reason they do such a deep base? Are crowds substantially worse? Or is it just policy?

My guess is because they're only going to do this once. Once they turn off the guns they won't be back on until next Oct.

 

[dlague]

My guess is because they're only going to do this once. Once they turn off the guns they won't be back on until next Oct.

True, by end of November they are done!

 

[Jully]

Mmm, good points on both. I suppose they want to minimize the number of times they have to turn on the guns! The sun is definitely stronger out there. As much as we complain about thaws in the east, there are a good number of abnormally warm days out west too!

 

[Cornhead]

The sun is definitely stronger out there.

Prior to my first trip West, New Mexico, I was in the bar at Greek, I mentioned that I had to remember sun block because the Sun is more intense at high elevation. The cute blonde bartender said, "Yeah, you'll be alot closer to the Sun." I just said, "Yes, I will be closer to the Sun."

A couple years ago I neglected to put sunblock on at A-basin because it was cloudy in the morning, I looked like Rudolph at the end of the day.

 

[Jully]

A couple years ago I neglected to put sunblock on at A-basin because it was cloudy in the morning, I looked like Rudolph at the end of the day.

Goggle tans are very real out there!

 

[dlague]

Wife and I got burn on our legs during spring skiing which resulted in boot tan lines the entire summer also got raccoon eyes from sunglasses. Learned our lesson. Was also to make sure not to ski without goggles or sunglasses as to not get snow-blind.

Back on topic - looking sweet after 4 days of continuous snowmaking! No snowmaking at the base of the lift yet.

 

[dlague]

I was just thinking about first of the season rivalries and it is funny how in the Northeast You have Killington and Sunday River - two different states separated by another 178 miles apart driving and 120 miles by crow. Where in Colorado, Loveland and A Basin are on opposite sides of Loveland Pass literally 7.7 miles apart by road and about 3 miles as the crow flies (hoping that it flies straight).

Outside of these paces which are known for starting early what other ski areas are in the mix? I know Bretton Woods likes to sneak in there!

 

[4aprice]

I was just thinking about first of the season rivalries and it is funny how in the Northeast You have Killington and Sunday River - two different states separated by another 178 miles apart driving and 120 miles by crow. Where in Colorado, Loveland and A Basin are on opposite sides of Loveland Pass literally 7.7 miles apart by road and about 3 miles as the crow flies (hoping that it flies straight).

Outside of these paces which are known for starting early what other ski areas are in the mix? I know Bretton Woods likes to sneak in there!

Wolf Creek likes to open when they can. Just saw a blurb on facebook about opening times, most stick to a season and won't open till November or early December in some cases (Aspen Mt for example lists opening as Dec 10th).

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[Jully]

I was just thinking about first of the season rivalries and it is funny how in the Northeast You have Killington and Sunday River - two different states separated by another 178 miles apart driving and 120 miles by crow. Where in Colorado, Loveland and A Basin are on opposite sides of Loveland Pass literally 7.7 miles apart by road and about 3 miles as the crow flies (hoping that it flies straight).

Outside of these paces which are known for starting early what other ski areas are in the mix? I know Bretton Woods likes to sneak in there!

Woodbury!! Not first opening, but first in the top to bottom race has Wildcat in the mix too nowadays.

I think it's Sugar Mountain in North Carolina tends to open quickly too. Was it 2014 where they had the most terrain open early season?

 

[catsup948]

Woodbury!! Not first opening, but first in the top to bottom race has Wildcat in the mix too nowadays.

I think it's Sugar Mountain in North Carolina tends to open quickly too. Was it 2014 where they had the most terrain open early season?

Sugar opened really early last season as I remember. Their base is higher than the summit of Cannon. They don't get much natural snow that far south but at that elevation it gets pretty cold at night so they can bury the limited terrain they have.

 

[andrec10]

Timberline on MT Hood is always open...except for last fall.....and for 2 weeks for lift Maintenance.

 

[Not Sure]

Sugar opened really early last season as I remember. Their base is higher than the summit of Cannon. They don't get much natural snow that far south but at that elevation it gets pretty cold at night so they can bury the limited terrain they have.

http://www.skisugar.com/sugar-mountain-stats/

Average opening early to mid November. 64" average is more than the Poconos!