All Confirmed North American Ski Resorts 2025-26 Opening Dates

Gregg Frantz | | Post Tag for Industry NewsIndustry News
The 2024-25 ski season is less than 100 days away. Photo Credit: NASA

Updated: Friday, October, 3

That time of the year has begun when ski resorts in North America start announcing their planned opening dates for the new ski season. Last year, Ski Ward, located in Massachusetts, opened its magic carpet for skiing and riding, technically making it the first outdoor ski area in North America to open lift-accessed terrain for the season on October 19. Blue Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania announced its anticipated opening date of November 28, almost 150 days ago, on July 1.

Every year, ski areas nationwide see which ski resort can get its snowguns running the fastest and ski lifts running first. In the past 15 seasons, Arapahoe Basin, Wolf Creek, and Loveland in Colorado have grabbed the title of first to open with a late October or early November opening. Other resorts like Wild Mountain in Minnesota, Killington in Vermont, and Sunday River in Maine have also claimed the rights to say they were first to open. The question of which resort will open first this season remains. This year’s race is on—will the usual contenders hold their ground, or will an underdog steal the first tracks of the season? Here’s a list of the resorts that have announced their opening dates for the 2025-26 season so far.

Canada

Canada is home to over 250 amazing and unique ski areas, all with different types of terrain, difficulty levels, and atmosphere. Photo Credit: Getty Images

British Columbia

United States

The United States is home to 487 ski resorts, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). Photo Credit: Winter Park Resort

Mid‑Atlantic 

Pennsylvania

Northeast

Vermont

Rockies

Tamarack Resort in Idaho blends modern village amenities with wide-open terrain. It has seven lifts that serve 1,100 acres; it’s easy to explore every corner of the mountain and skip the crowds. Skiers can find themselves carving turns on empty groomers or floating through lap after lap of bottomless powder. Photo Credit: Tamarack Resort

Colorado

Idaho

Utah

West 

PalisadesTahoeBackflip
Palisades Tahoe is known for its 6,000 acres of uninterrupted legendary terrain and incredible views. Pictured: SnowBrains Founder and CEO, Miles Clark, doing a backflip off the tram building at Palisades Tahoe, California. Photo Credit: SnowBrains

Alaska

Arizona

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California

Nevada

Oregon

 

Washington

As countdown clocks tick toward winter, skiers and snowboarders across North America are eyeing the calendar and watching the weather. Whether the honor of first to open goes to a familiar contender or a surprise challenger, the early turns of the 2025-26 season will soon be underway—and the race for fresh tracks is officially on.

Posted by Avatar photo Gregg Frantz |

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4 thoughts on “All Confirmed North American Ski Resorts 2025-26 Opening Dates”

  1. What’s the point of these places announcing opening days that are pretty much the norm? I’d love to see something newsworthy like September 19.

    Reply

  2. You’re so right about Killington and Sunday River, I didn’t forget about the New England. I reached out to both, but they either haven’t set an opening date or didn’t get back to me. Hopefully, a cold October weather will enable them to open sooner than later.

    Reply

  3. Gregg, you forgot New England. Beast of the East and Sunday River always some of the first to open in the nation with more powerful snowmaking than the above.

    Reply

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