Industry News
The dog days of summer have arrived, and the 2025-26 ski season already feels like a distant memory. As of this writing, it’s been 90 days since lifts stopped spinning in Colorado, 82 since the East Coast’s last resort called it quits, and 41 days since Banff Sunshine Village, Canada’s last resort standing, shut down operations. Even Timberline, Oregon — the last major resort open anywhere in North America — closed its doors nearly a month ago, in mid-July.
August may be one of the most challenging months of the year for powder-deprived skiers and snowboarders dreaming of winters past. However, while fresh tracks and free refills aren’t necessarily right around the corner, the start of the ski season may be a bit closer than it appears.
Loveland, Colorado, just announced via social media that the resort will fire up its snowguns in under 50 days. Thanks to state-of-the-art snowmaking infrastructure and the ski area’s high elevation, Loveland is consistently among the first resorts to open in North America for skiing and riding, often spinning lifts as early as the first week of October.
In fact, between 2000 and 2004-05, Loveland was the first American ski resort to open its doors for five consecutive seasons. Additionally, the mountain holds the record for the earliest opening date ever — getting lifts, or rather rope tows, spinning on September 30, 1951.
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So while Labor Day plans and mid-August heat may have you feeling like the slopes are a lifetime away, the countdown for the 2026-27 ski season has already begun in the heart of Colorado.
