October 2026 | The Skinner Team | Anne Skinner, Luxury Mountain Real Estate Expert
TL;DR Summit County ski opening day is part race, part tradition: Keystone and Arapahoe Basin compete to open first, the faithful camp out for first chair, and the first run is usually one crowded white ribbon.
Here is how it all works, plus this season's dates.
Every October, a few hundred feet of man-made snow on a brown mountainside becomes the most watched ribbon of white in Colorado. Snow guns roar on every cold night, forecasts get refreshed by the hour, and then one resort announces, sometimes with barely enough notice to grab your boots, that lifts will spin. In Summit County, ski opening day is less a date on the calendar than a local sport, and it has its own rivalries, its own heroes and its own vocabulary.
The friendly rivalry runs mostly between Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, two resorts a few miles apart on the same side of Loveland Pass, with Loveland Ski Area just over the Eisenhower Tunnel in Clear Creek County joining in some years. All three sit high and cold enough to make snow early, and all three want the bragging rights of opening first.
The history is full of photo finishes. In 2008, A-Basin and Loveland tied, both loading their first chairs at 8:30 a.m. In 2019, Keystone announced it would open on a Saturday in mid-October, and A-Basin answered by opening the Friday afternoon before, at 3:30 p.m. Last season the script flipped: A-Basin announced it would open on a Sunday morning, and Keystone announced at 2 p.m. on Saturday that it would open in 90 minutes, claiming first in North America on October 25, 2025. According to a SnowBrains review of the past 20 seasons, A-Basin has been the first U.S. resort to open seven times.
For the 2026-27 season, Vail Resorts has said Keystone will open as soon as possible in October and hopes to be first in North America for a second year in a row. A-Basin's answer, as always, is as soon as conditions allow.
Opening first is the resort's prize. First chair belongs to the skiers, and a small group has turned it into a decades-long tradition. CPR News profiled "Trailer Tom" Miller and Nate "Dogggg" Nadler, known as the Kings of First Chair, who in 2023 had spent 31 years claiming the first ride at A-Basin by camping overnight at the lift on frozen ground, sometimes for days, rationing food and bathroom breaks to hold their spot. "A few days in line is always well worth the wait," Miller told CPR.
Last season, the Summit Daily reported that Miller marked a 33-year streak at A-Basin, alongside Darren "Disco Darren" Droge, in his disco-ball helmet, who has held second chair just as long. When Keystone surprised everyone with its 90-minute notice, the crew rode Keystone's first gondola on Saturday afternoon and then raced to A-Basin to hold the line for Sunday morning. "Being first chair is so much fun," Miller said. "You get the whole wide-open run in front of you."
That wide-open run does not stay empty for long. Early in the season, resorts typically open one or two runs on man-made snow, and every skier in the county funnels onto the same strip of white. Locals call it the white ribbon of death, or WROD: a single groomed run, often firm and fast, flanked by brown hillside and packed with every ability level at once. At A-Basin, opening week has often meant High Noon and little else.
The name is mostly affectionate, but the crowding is real. The Denver Gazette's guide to WROD season offers sensible advice:
For locals in Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne, a short drive to Keystone or A-Basin makes it easy to take a few laps after work and leave the weekend crowds to the visitors.
Each resort marks the day its own way. Last season Keystone kicked off with a DJ and discounted beers at the base, and A-Basin opened with live music in the lift line, a DJ at the base and a waffle breakfast with sausage and eggs. In past seasons, Breckenridge has opened at the Peak 8 base with a countdown to the Colorado SuperChair, free waffles while they last, a DJ and giveaways, with an evening concert in town at the Riverwalk Center. Copper Mountain has handed out gifts to its first skiers of the day.
Resorts announce their opening-day plans close to the date, so check each resort's website and social channels the week of opening for this season's events.
Dates below are as announced or projected at the time of writing and always depend on weather and snowmaking conditions.
| Resort | 2026-27 opening | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Keystone | As soon as possible in October | Announced by Vail Resorts |
| Arapahoe Basin | As soon as possible | Not yet announced |
| Breckenridge | November 6 | Announced by Vail Resorts |
| Copper Mountain | November 6 | Announced |
| Loveland (Clear Creek County) | Late October to early November | Not yet announced |
| Vail Mountain | November 13 | Announced by Vail Resorts |
| Beaver Creek | November 25 | Announced by Vail Resorts |
Vail and Beaver Creek, across Vail Pass in Eagle County, open later than the high Summit County resorts, which is why the early-season race in this corridor plays out on the Summit County side of Vail Pass.
Opening week also happens to be the most honest time to look at a ski-in/ski-out property. When only one or two runs are open, you can see exactly which lifts and trails a building depends on, whether its ski-back route is open yet, and how the access holds up on thin early-season snow rather than a deep February base.
Some ski-backs rely on trails that do not open until midseason, and a home that is truly door-to-snow in February may be a walk to the lift in November. If ski-in/ski-out access is part of what you are paying for, see it in early-season conditions before you commit.
→ Weighing a slopeside home? Read Is Ski-In/Ski-Out Worth the Premium?
Opening day in Summit County is a small-town tradition dressed up as a ski race: resorts jockeying for bragging rights, regulars sleeping in the cold for the first ride of the year, and a single white ribbon carrying the whole county's excitement down the mountain.
Go for the atmosphere, ski the ribbon with patience, and if a slopeside home is on your list, use those first weeks to see how its access really works. The rest of the mountain will open soon enough.
Summit County resorts usually open between mid-October and early November. For the 2026-27 season, Keystone plans to open as soon as possible in October, Arapahoe Basin opens as soon as conditions allow, and Breckenridge and Copper Mountain are targeting November 6. Opening dates always depend on weather and snowmaking.
It changes from year to year. Arapahoe Basin has been the first U.S. resort to open seven times in the past 20 seasons, while Keystone opened first in North America on October 25, 2025, after announcing its opening with 90 minutes' notice. Loveland Ski Area, just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel, has also opened first in several seasons.
The white ribbon of death, or WROD, is the nickname for the single snowmade run that resorts open early in the season. With every skier funneled onto one strip of snow, the run is often crowded and firm, so control your speed, ski in the afternoon when traffic thins, and watch for thin cover at the edges.
Getting first chair takes patience and planning. The regulars at Arapahoe Basin camp overnight at the lift, sometimes for days, watching forecasts and resort announcements to guess which mountain will open first. Most skiers who simply want to ride on opening day can arrive early in the morning and enjoy the celebration.
Early-season skiing is worth it for the atmosphere and the first turns of the year, but expect limited terrain, crowded runs and firm snow. Afternoons are usually quieter, and conditions improve quickly as more terrain opens through November and December.
Yes. Early season is one of the most revealing times to tour a ski-in/ski-out home, because you can see which lifts and trails the property actually depends on, whether its ski-back route is open, and how the access works on thin snow before the full mountain opens.
Thinking about a home close to the lifts this winter? The Skinner Team can help you see how a property's access works in every part of the season.
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About the author
Anne Skinner is the founder of The Skinner Team at Keller Williams Top of the Rockies, with more than 12 years of experience in Colorado mountain real estate across Summit County, Vail and Beaver Creek. She holds the Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS), Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE) and Summit Area Specialist (SAS) designations. Learn more about Anne
Disclaimer: All information contained in this web site is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal notice. COMtnRealty.com believes all information to be correct but assumes no legal responsibility for accuracy.
