Colorado Ski Resort Sees First Snow

The hype train keeps rolling. Last night, into the morning of September 5, 2024, Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, picked up its first snowfall of the season. Here’s a photo of the initial upper mountain dusting.

It’s admittedly not much, but it's September. We’ll take what we can get. A few other Coloradan resorts picked up snow, too, including Keystone Resort and Breckenridge Ski Resort .

At Arapahoe Basin, another significant snowfall this week isn’t looking likely, although temperatures are forecasted to be encouragingly cold. Overnight, the mercury should drop to the low 40s and high 30s—only a few digits away from freezing.

Despite the snow, Arapahoe Basin’s still in summer mode for a few weeks until September 22nd. Once September wraps up, though, the race is on . Arapahoe Basin is usually one of the first ski resorts in North America to open. Its earliest opening date for the winter operating season is October 9th. And this year, the program looks like it always does: Arapahoe Basin will start spinning the lifts as soon as possible.

A few things will look different for Arapahoe Basin this year. For one, the 2024-2025 ski season will be the resort’s first full season operating with a net-zero carbon footprint. To achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2025, Arapahoe Basin pursued several sustainability goals, the most impactful of which was reaching 100% renewable electricity sourcing in September of 2023.

Additionally, last winter, Arapahoe Basin announced that it would come under the ownership of Alterra Mountain Company , the purveyors of the Ikon Pass. The deal, however, hasn’t closed yet and Arapahoe Basin doesn’t have a timeline for when it will.

What isn’t new is Arapahoe Basin’s commitment to offering ridiculously long ski seasons. Last season, it was open for 222 days, keeping skiers on snow well into the warmer months. The furthest Arapahoe Basin has made it is August 10th.

But we’re not talking about the summer anymore—barbecues, suntans, and wildfire smoke will be old news pretty soon. With several resorts across the continent now having reported their first snowfall, the pre-season is officially cooking. Get those snow dances going, people.

Related: Jim Ryan Endures "Harsh" Summer Chamonix Mission for POWDER Magazine

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