Vail extends ski season to May 1

Vail on Monday extended its closing day by one week to Sunday, May 1.

The ski area was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, April 24.

Vail received more than a foot of new snow over the weekend but is still below 200 inches for the season (193). Vail averages more than 300 inches a season, from late November to late April, but last season topped out at just 200.

March and April, however, are typically two of the snowier months of the season.

Beaver Creek has received a foot of new snow in the last storm cycle and is now at 179 inches for the season. Its closing date is still scheduled for Easter Sunday, April 17.

Monday morning, there was a surprising message on the snowstake web cam at Beaver Creek as someone decided to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin exactly what the vast majority of Americans (previous president excluded) think of his brutal invasion of the democratic nation of Ukraine, in which civilians are being targeted in what ultimately may be determined by international courts to be clear war crimes against humanity.

The sign was removed soon after its installation.

More snow is on the way later this week, according to forecasters.

“Sunday brought times of intense snow showers, and the showers continued on Sunday night, with totals of 2-11 inches,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote Monday morning. “On Monday, there will be more snow showers for areas near and south of I-70. During the middle of the week, a strong storm will bring snow for 24-48 hours with most mountains seeing at least 4-8 inches and some spots will get into the 10-15+ inch range by Thursday.”

Here’s the official press release from Vail Resorts on Vail extending its season by a month:

Vail Mountain will extend the ski and snowboard season until May 1, making this the longest continuous season in Vail Mountain history. Thanks to the mountain’s investment in snowmaking, passholders and guests will be able to enjoy one additional week of legendary spring skiing and riding. The extended week will provide more value to passholders and guests, and is the perfect way for the local community to end an amazing winter season. 

“We are very excited to be offering our community and guests one additional week to ski and snowboard on Vail Mountain,” said Beth Howard, vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain.  “This extension is made entirely possible by the dedicated mountain staff who have worked to provide guests with an outstanding winter season.  We are truly grateful for everyone’s hard work to open over 5,100 acres of terrain and for our longest season on record.” 

In 2019, Vail Mountain invested in North America’s largest snowmaking enhancement project.  This project was a decade in the making, revolutionizing the mountain’s early and late season.  Despite challenging early-season weather conditions, the resort’s snowmaking efforts enabled a phenomenal ski and ride experience this year, building the base that will allow for this season extension. As always, terrain offerings will depend upon weather conditions. 

Vail Mountain is currently 97-percent open and has received over 190 inches of natural snow for the season.