Countdown to ski season kicks off as storm leaves dusting on local slopes

Snow on the slopes of Vail on Tuesday (Rachel Levitsky/Vail Resorts photo).

Snow riders woke to a pasting of snow on local ski slopes Tuesday, Oct. 3, with opening days a little more than a month away.

“The mountains were graced with a dusting of white overnight, with each of our Colorado resorts seeing snow on the slopes, and you better believe we’re celebrating!” Vail Resorts spokesperson Rachel Levitsky wrote in a Tuesday email blast.

“This was the first snowfall on the mountain for Beaver Creek Resort, Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Vail Mountain, with Breckenridge and Keystone having seen a dusting earlier this fall. The countdown to projected opening dates is on.”

The ski company also sent out the following projected opening dates:

Beaver Creek: Nov. 22

Breckenridge: Nov. 10

Crested Butte: Nov. 22

Keystone: as early as possible in October (pending early season conditions)

Vail Mountain: Nov. 10

Keystone is sometimes in the hunt to open first in the state, but that honor typically goes to nearby Loveland or Arapahoe Basin, which kicked off snowmaking operations last month. Wolf Creek also sometimes jumps into the fray.

The wintry weather is expected to move on by Wednesday, with a dry and warmer pattern settling in through the weekend.

“On Monday night, a large yet somewhat disjointed storm moved across Colorado,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote Tuesday. “Mountains above 9,000 feet saw snowfall with 1-3 inches across most ranges. Cool weather will persist through Wednesday, and then the weather pattern will transition back to dry and warm conditions for the better part of a week. The next storm will be possible around Thursday, October 12.”