22 Hours of Notice: Arapahoe Basin Opens Colorado Ski Season

Owen Melson received a phone call at 9 a.m. Wednesday that Arapahoe Basin would open that morning. He left his home in Silverthorne to buy a grill at Lowe’s by 9:15 a.m. He then stopped at City Market to load 80 sausage patties, eggs, cheese, bagels, English muffins, and waffles into his car. By 10:15 a.m., he was serving free breakfast sandwiches at the base of the mountain as the first chairlift in Colorado began moving skiers.

Alan Henceroth, the chief operating officer of Arapahoe Basin, made the decision to open less than 24 hours before the event. The team announced the opening at 7:30 a.m. via Instagram, stating lifts would start at 11 a.m. They started 30 minutes early because people were already waiting in line. Henceroth said the staff monitored snow volume closely, with cat drivers pushing snow around to prepare the single blue run for service.

The resort began blowing snow on Oct. 15, the same day Keystone started its snow guns. The hillsides turned white by the next day, though a midweek warm spell forced the snow guns to shut off. Jacob Marquardt, communications manager for Keystone, noted that this fluctuation is common when making snow in October. Both Arapahoe Basin and Keystone do not announce fixed opening dates, instead promising to open as soon as possible.

A competition to be the first to open has existed between Keystone, Loveland, and Arapahoe Basin since the 1980s. Keystone and Loveland each held the title 10 times between 1982 and 2001. Arapahoe Basin installed its own snowmaking equipment in 2002 after receiving approval from owners and the Army Corps of Engineers. Since that installation, Arapahoe Basin has claimed the first-to-open title 14 times, exceeding the combined total of its rivals during the same period.

Loryn Roberson, marketing and communications director for Loveland, stated that the race motivates on-mountain teams but that no resort will open without confidence they can stay open. A weekend storm that melts by midweek is insufficient to turn lifts. Roberson said internal teams often do not know the opening date until two or three days in advance. At Arapahoe Basin, the notice period is shorter. Shayna Silverman, senior communications manager at Arapahoe Basin, said the team received about 22 hours of notice this year, compared to 36 hours last year.

Keystone operates 627 snow guns, including 39 mobile fan guns and 375 automated air-water tower guns. The guns shut off automatically if the wet-bulb temperature rises above 28 degrees. Marquardt said the mountain operations team decides where to concentrate snowmaking based on conditions. Arapahoe Basin uses a smaller operation with 20 snow guns run by five staff members. Silverman described the philosophy as small but mighty, using snowmaking to secure a foothold before natural snow takes over.

Loveland uses contractors, many from New Zealand, to run its snowmaking team. They began work on Oct. 8 and will remain through the snowmaking season, which usually ends in mid-December. The three resorts have prepared for weeks, checking temperatures, clearing debris, servicing lifts, and training ski patrol. Phil Lindeman from Frisco-based radio station Krystal 93.9 stood next to the lift line, cooking bacon in a cast iron pan and handing it to the crowd as the season officially began.