Southwest Ski Resorts Open 2007-08
November Snow at Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, California Ski Areas
Thanksgiving weekend saw the start of the 2007-08 ski season with ski areas opening in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and California. Several ski resorts also got fresh snow.
Ski areas across the Southwest opened for Thanksgiving, the first big weekend of the 2007-2008 ski season. As ski resorts in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and California revved up the snow-making machines for their November opening, early winter storms dumped several inches of the real thing on ski slopes across the Rocky Mountains.
Colorado Ski Areas
Thirteen of Colorado's 26 ski areas opened for Thanksgiving weekend. Many areas enjoyed fresh powder on top of the man-made base.
A welcome storm gave Aspen Mountain and Snowmass plenty to be thankful for as it dropped nine inches of snow on their upper slopes the day before they opened on November 22. By Sunday, Wolf Creek Ski Area had 16 new inches glistening on its runs.
Copper Mountain, one of the first Colorado resorts to open in early November, gave extreme skiers a feast for the coming season with the launch of the first Superpipe in North America. It is the first of several terrain features that will be added in time for the US Freeskiing Open which takes place here in January.
Colorado resorts now open include Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Eldora, Keystone, Loveland, Snowmass, Vail, Winter Park and Wolf Creek.
Opening November 30 are Echo Mountain, Steamboat, Sunlight and Telluride. Opening the first week of December are Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, Howelsen, Powderhorn, Purgatory (Durango) and Silverton Mountain open the first week of December, followed by Sol Vista on December 19. Monarch Mountain and Ski Cooper have yet to announce opening dates.
Utah Ski Areas
In Utah, Thanksgiving skiers headed for six of its 13 ski areas to enjoy "the greatest snow on earth." Ski resorts now open include Brighton, The Canyons, Park City Mountain, Snow Basin, Solitude and Wolf Mountain.
Alta Ski Area and Snowbird are aiming to open at the end of November, while Deer Valley and Sundance are scheduled to open December 7-8, conditions permitting. Beaver Mountain, Brian Head and Powder Mountain have yet to announce opening dates but promise that "snow is on the way!"
New Mexico Ski Areas
Three of New Mexico's nine ski resorts are now open: Red River, Sipapu and Enchanted Forest cross-country skiing area. Following a big storm the day after Thanksgiving, Ski Santa Fe is gearing up to open soon.
Angel Fire, Sandia Peak and Taos Ski Valley are scheduled to open December 14-15. Pajarito is nearly ready to open pending snow conditions, while Nordic skiing in the Valles Caldera National Preserve begins on December 29.
California Ski Areas
In California, six of the eleven major ski areas are open: Bear Mountain, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood, Mammoth, Northstar and Snow Summit. Squaw Valley's Searchlight Terrain Park is open. Sugar Bowl opens November 30. Alpine Meadows, Mt. Rose and Sierra are all making snow and will also open soon.
For up-to-the-minute information on ski area openings and snow and weather conditions at Southwest ski resorts, check the snow reports for Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and California.
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