These Ski Mountains Opened Early for the Season Thanks to Fresh Snow — Where to Go

More than a dozen ski resorts will open earlier than expected thanks to some recent storms and cooperating cold temperatures across the West Coast and Canada. 

In total, 13 ski mountains on the Ikon Pass have already opened or plan to open this week, the company shared with Travel + Leisure. The resorts are spread across California, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, and western Canada. 

"Nothing is more exciting this time of year than big snow and early openings,” Kristin Rust, the VP of communications for the Alterra Mountain Company, told T+L. “Thanks to some huge storms across North America, Ikon Pass holders can get in on bonus days with early openings at 13 resorts. Ikon Pass is still on sale and winter is officially here."

Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin was one of the earliest to open in the country, welcoming skiers and riders on Oct. 23, followed by Winter Park Resort, which had its earliest opening ever on Oct. 31. California’s Mammoth Mountain then officially opened on Nov. 5 — a week earlier than expected — thanks to a dumping of snow.

Similarly, Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise Ski Resort, and Mt. Norquay in Canada have all opened “thanks to intense early season snowfall over the past three weeks.”

This week, Palisades Tahoe will start spinning its lifts after seeing more than three feet of snow, including 39 inches alone in the past 72 hours. The mountain will open on Nov. 18. That same day, both Crystal Mountain in Washington and Snowbird in Utah will also open thanks to massive dumps of fresh powder.

And on Nov. 19, both Aspen Mountain and Snowmass will welcome powder hounds back to the slopes after more than three feet of snow made it possible. The mountains were originally scheduled to open over Thanksgiving.

In addition to these mountains, several on the Epic Pass have also opened for the season, including Breckenridge, which opened two days early on Nov. 9, and Vail Mountain, which opened on Nov. 11 for its 60th anniversary season.