Beaver Creek to close Sunday, two weeks earlier than initial target
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Beaver Creek announced Friday it will close for the season on Sunday, two weeks earlier than initially targeted, due to low snow conditions.
The Latigo run taking guests to the bottom of the mountain is mostly melted out, the latest victim of a record-breaking heat wave that has brought green grass to the areas that are ordinarily ski slopes across the West this time of year.
Beaver Creek is the next in a series of Colorado ski resort closures to affect the Western Slope, with Powderhorn in the Grand Mesa and Sunlight near Glenwood Springs already closed for the season. To the south, Ski Cooper closed on March 22, as well, and Purgatory announced this week that it will close on Sunday. Hesperus ski area near Durango didn’t open at all this season.
Aspen Highlands made a similar announcement to Beaver Creek on Friday — after initially targeting April 12, Highlands will close on Sunday.
In California, Vail Resorts also moved the Northstar ski resort’s targeted closing day up by a week, from April 12 to April 5. Sierra-at-Tahoe closed on March 22, Mt. Rose moved its closing date up from April 29 to April 12, and Palisades Tahoe, on Friday, acknowledged that there’s no chance it will make it to Memorial Day as originally planned, and will now target late April.
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Beaver Creek vice president and chief operating officer Bobby Murphy, in a letter to employees, said closing the resort early was not an easy decision.
“It came only after careful consideration of mountain conditions, safety, and our responsibility to operate thoughtfully,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the season was meaningful because of the dedication shown by employees.
“From early mornings and long days to adapting to changing conditions with positivity and care, your commitment to our guests, to one another, and to the mountain has been nothing short of remarkable,” Murphy said. “Because of you, Beaver Creek continued to deliver the exceptional experience our guests expect, even in a challenging season.”
Beaver Creek did not respond to an inquiry Friday asking if the resort plans to compensate employees for lost time.
Ten miles east of Beaver Creek, on Vail Mountain, only the Born Free and Bear Tree runs remain open on the lowest reaches of the resort. Portions of Born Free are closed, as well, forcing skiers to use Cub’s Way, Lower Lion’s Way, the Vail Village Catwalk and the Lionshead Catwalk to egress the mountain into Lionshead Village.
A USGS Snow Telemetry Site in the Upper Ledges/Lodgepole area of Vail Mountain, which has been using a snow-water equivalent metric to measure snowpack since the 1978-79 season, was showing just 2.9 inches of snow-water equivalent on Friday, by far the lowest in the recording station’s history. Other low recordings for this date occurred on March 27, 2012, when the station recorded 9 inches of snow-water equivalent and March 27, 1999, when the site recorded 10.9 inches of snow-water equivalent.
Vail Mountain, as of Friday, remains committed to its April 19 target for closing.
In a Friday afternoon press release announcing Beaver Creek’s closure, Murphy also thanked guests for their commitment to Beaver Creek this season.
“We are so grateful for all the support and positive feedback you’ve given to our teams this season and for spending another winter with us,” Murphy said. “We invite everyone to enjoy the sunshine, the music, and a few final laps before we close on Sunday.”
The resort will host DJ Lil Dipz for a youth DJ show at Hawks’ Nest Cabin from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday night. The event is for guests ages 10–18 and will feature a live DJ set, LED dance floor, games, interactive zones, and space to hang out between songs.
And on Saturday DJ Lil Dipz will return to Spruce Saddle from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Beaver Creek’s operating hours for Sunday will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the Centennial, Haymeadow, Cinch and Red Buffalo lifts offering access to the open runs in those areas.
