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Beaver Creek eyes Monday for Opening Day

Snowmakers have been working around the clock

Beaver Creek’s mountain operations team has been working around the clock to blow snow and get the mountain ready for opening.
Vail Resorts/Courtesy photo

With the assistance of Mother Nature and its mountain operations team, Beaver Creek Resort is targeting Monday, Nov. 29, to kick off its season.

The mountain was initially scheduled to open Wednesday, Nov. 24, a day before Thanksgiving. However, unseasonably warm weather and a lack of snowfall pushed back that start date.

A dusting of snow and low temperatures in recent days allowed Beaver Creek’s mountain operations teams to better prepare the mountain for opening, according to an email from Rachel Levitsky, a spokeswoman for Vail Resorts.



“Our snowmakers have been working around the clock,” Levitsky said in a phone call on Friday. “We really just had to wait for the optimal temperatures to kick in, and then they could do their thing. They are a huge reason why we’re able to open in such a dry and warmer than usual year.”

The lack of snowfall and warmer temperatures were specifically affecting the resort’s lower elevations; however, the recent cold front has aided snowmaking in the base area.

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“When we see the temperatures drop in the lower elevations, they’ve been able to blow snow in our base area to give us great coverage down there and make sure we’re providing a great early season product that’s safe and enjoyable for all of our guests,” Levitsky said.

The resort has yet to announce what terrain will be open on Monday, but expects it will “be in line with years past, focusing on Beaver Creek mountain,” Levitsky said, adding that it is sure to include at least one top-to-bottom run.

“We won’t have a download scenario,” she said.

Over the weekend, the resort expects a continuation of these “optimal snowmaking temperatures in the evenings and overnight to make sure that it’s cold enough and dry enough to blow that snow,” Levitsky said. “We’re confident in the forecast and our snowmaking teams will be working hard through the weekend to prepare for Monday.”

In addition to getting terrain ready for Opening Day, snowmakers have been equally focused on preparing for the Birds of Prey World Cup races, which the resort is hosting Dec. 3-5. And so far, snowmakers have been successful in getting the course ready for next weekend, Levitsky said.

Snowmakers have taken advantage of colder temperatures to prepare Beaver Creek for Monday’s Opening Day.
Vail Resorts/Courtesy Photo

Beaver Creek was among several Colorado ski areas that delayed this year’s opening due to unseasonably warm weather and less-than-ideal snowfall.

Now, it will fall just behind several other resorts that opened this week. Copper Mountain Resort in Summit County opened Monday, Aspen Mountain and Snowmass opened Thursday and Steamboat Resort is scheduled to open Saturday. Other resorts — like Telluride — are still waiting on more snow to open.

While early season weather truly varies from year to year, Monday is slightly later than Beaver Creek’s typical opening, historically opening the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Levitsky said.

Beaver Creek’s Opening Day will feature music, a fun banner breaking, as well as some “surprise and delight morning snacks if you’re in the right place at the right time,” Levitsky said. Also, guests of the mountain can look forward to the return of Cookie Time, which took a hiatus last season, but will occur daily at 3 p.m. starting Opening Day and continuing throughout the season.


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