Cheers to the 2026–27 Ski Season!
Arapahoe Basin is First to Kick Off Colorado's Ski Season
DENVER, Colo. October 28, 2026 — Colorado's 2026–27 ski season is officially underway! Arapahoe Basin Ski Area kicked things off at 10:30 am Colorado time, sending the season's first skiers and riders up the mountain on the Black Mountain Express chairlift.
Opening day at A-Basin is a quintessential Colorado tradition, complete with colorful costumes, parking lot breakfasts, and a crowd ready to welcome another winter. And while A-Basin kicks its 80th season off, snowmaking crews and mountain operations teams across Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) are hard at work preparing for their own opening days, with more resorts expected to welcome skiers and riders in the coming weeks as conditions allow.
“There’s nothing quite like seeing those first chairs head up the mountain,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “The excitement and positive energy of ski season’s opening day never gets old. Our member resorts have put a lot of work into welcoming skiers and riders this winter, with investments in terrain, lessons, and programs for kids and families.”
Getting the Next Generation on Snow
Monarch Mountain is introducing $49 beginner lessons this winter and launching its first Salida School Days program, which will bring approximately 1,300 students from the Salida School District to the mountain for a free day of skiing or snowboarding.
At Granby Ranch, Free Ski Fridays will provide Grand County School District students and employees with free skiing and snowboarding every Friday this winter. Complimentary rentals and beginner lessons will also be available, giving first-timers a chance to learn without needing their own equipment.
Powderhorn's Bob Beverly Free Learn to Ski/Ride Program offers first-time skiers and snowboarders up to three free days of group lessons, lift tickets, and rentals. Purgatory Resort continues its Power Kids program, providing free season passes to children 12 and under, while Loveland welcomes guests back to its improved Lift 7 and reshaped beginner terrain.
30 Years of the Kids Ski Passport
Colorado Ski Country USA is celebrating a milestone of its own this winter: the 30th anniversary of the Kids Ski Passport.
First introduced in 1996 as the 5th Grade Passport, the program was an early pioneer in multi-mountain skiing, giving Colorado kids the opportunity to explore different ski areas, improve their skills, and develop a lifelong love of the mountains.
The Passport has grown considerably over the past three decades. Today, students in kindergarten through sixth grade can ski or ride four days at each of 19 participating resorts — 76 days for $76. Each Passport also includes two free junior daily rental packages courtesy of presenting sponsor Christy Sports.
A Season of Milestones
The Ski Passport isn't the only one celebrating a birthday this winter. Arapahoe Basin and Aspen Snowmass both mark 80 years of skiing, while Powderhorn Mountain Resort celebrates its 60th anniversary and Echo Mountain reaches its 10th season.
At A-Basin, "80 Years of the Legend" includes $80 Wednesday lift tickets, an anniversary weekend in December, and a season-long look back at the mountain's history. Aspen Snowmass will celebrate eight decades with throwback pricing, anniversary events, and special programming honoring its 1946 opening.
New Lifts, Terrain, and Mountain Improvements
There's plenty of new terrain and infrastructure to explore this winter, too.
At Aspen Mountain, the new Nell Bell high-speed quad replaces the historic Bell Mountain and Little Nell lifts, providing a single chairlift route to the top of Bell Mountain.
Powderhorn's Wild West Express gives a former Snowmass chairlift a second life on the Western Slope. The refurbished high-speed quad, previously the Elk Camp lift, replaces the West End double and cuts the ride from more than 13 minutes to approximately six.
Purgatory is adding roughly 40 acres of expert terrain and five new trails through its Colorado Couloir expansion, along with expanded snowmaking on Divinity Trail to improve early-season access to beginner terrain.
Winter Park continues its multi-year snowmaking improvements, while Steamboat is reshaping Maverick's Halfpipe to reduce the amount of snow needed for construction by approximately 60 percent.
More Winter Ahead
Opening day is only the beginning. Copper Mountain welcomes men's FIS Alpine Ski World Cup racing Nov. 28–29 for the Stifel Copper Cup, 50 years after the mountain first hosted World Cup competition. In January, Buttermilk hosts the inaugural winter season of the new X Games League.
With the first chairlift already spinning, now is the time to check resort opening dates, explore pass options, and get winter trips on the calendar. Visit coloradoski.com for the latest opening dates and mountain conditions, or sign up for CSCUSA's daily Snow Report, delivered to inboxes by 7 a.m. throughout the season.
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About Colorado Ski Country USA
Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) is the not-for-profit trade association representing 20 ski and snowboard resorts across Colorado. CSCUSA serves as the global voice of the Colorado ski industry, with work focused on marketing, public policy, and public relations. Learn more at coloradoski.com and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
