Industry News
We’re into August now, days are getting shorter, nights are closing in and hopefully, the worst of the extreme summer temperatures we’ve seen are now behind us. All of which can only mean one thing; winter’s coming! There are now fewer than 100 days until you’ll be able to carve turns at two of Colorado’s most well-known ski areas.
Both Loveland and A-Basin normally begin snowmaking in September and battle it out to be the first resort to open in North America, usually the third week of October. But both Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort are targeting Friday, Nov. 9 opening days for the public skiing and riding season, Vail Resorts spokeswoman Loryn Roberson said in a press release Wednesday.
Over at Copper Mountain Resort, the Powdr Corporation property is targeting a public opening date for the ensuing weekend, on Saturday, Nov. 17, according to resort spokeswoman Taylor Prather. Prather added that the resort plans to open the day prior, on Friday, Nov. 16, for the mountain’s exclusive “Passholder Opening Day.”
Copper will open for the season after replacing both its American Flyer and American Eagle lifts. The new American Eagle Lift will be a high-speed quad that includes a combination of both six-person chairs and eight-person gondola cabins. Powdr claims the new lift will increase uphill capacity by more than 40 percent. As for the new American Flyer Lift, it’ll be a Leitner Poma high-speed six-person chair with bubble enclosures that’ll increase uphill capacity by 33 percent.
