That has already begun at a handful of North American resorts. In some cases, crews are laying down useful snow. In others, they are doing the annual equivalent of “blowing the mice out of the pipes” — testing pumps, lines, electrical systems, valves, and snow guns after a long off-season before temperatures are cold enough for serious production.
There is also some marketing value in being early. A resort that can say it was first in Colorado, first in the East, or first in the Southeast earns attention far beyond the number of skiers who may show up for a limited opening. Case in point: those early snowmaking efforts have earned them a mention in the story you are reading right now.
Out West: Colorado Leads the Opening-Day Race
Colorado once again has several resorts jockeying for an early start. Arapahoe Basin tested its snowmaking system on October 2, 2026, with the resort noting that temperatures still needed to drop before productive snowmaking could begin. The test was primarily about making sure the water lines, pumps, breakers, power supplies, and fan guns were ready.
Arapahoe Basin has historically been one of the country’s most aggressive early openers, thanks to its elevation, north-facing terrain, and focused snowmaking strategy.
Keystone has also become a formidable competitor. Last season, Keystone opened on October 25, beating A-Basin by one day and claiming the title of first North American ski resort to open for 2025-2026.
For 2026-2027, Keystone is again aiming to open as early as conditions allow. The resort has spent heavily on automated, energy-efficient snowmaking and says the improvements are designed specifically to help it open earlier. Keystone says the system could move opening day forward by as much as three weeks.
Loveland is preparing as well. As of October 5, the independent Colorado ski area had tested equipment, cleared its lines, and was waiting for sustained cold rather than jumping on the first marginal window. Loveland says it is looking for a wet-bulb temperature around 27 degrees, but more importantly, a stretch of cold overnight temperatures long enough to make the effort worthwhile.
Historically, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland dominated Colorado’s opening-day race, with Keystone becoming a serious contender in recent years. But Wolf Creek can upset the expected order when an early storm pounds southern Colorado. It was Colorado’s first ski area to open in both 2020 and 2024, relying heavily on natural snow rather than winning the race through snowmaking alone.
New England: The Guns Are Ready
New England has its own long-running opening-day rivalry, with Killington and Sunday River among the resorts that have traditionally pushed hardest to get skiing underway early.
Sunday River fired up its system on September 19 for its annual fall snowmaking test. The resort ran guns on Rogue Angel, Excalibur, and Lollapalooza. Sunday River says its system can move 10,500 gallons of water per minute through more than 2,000 snow guns, and crews are prepared to begin serious production when overnight temperatures fall into the 25- to 30-degree range.
The Maine resort has not announced an opening date, but it has long treated early-season snowmaking as part of its identity. Its own announcement framed the September test as a milestone toward winter — and, not coincidentally, reminded readers just how powerful its system is.
Vermont’s Killington has often been the first major resort to open in the East; its high-elevation North Ridge terrain gives it a practical way to open a small pod of skiing before snowmaking reaches the bottom of the mountain.
As of early October, Killington was still operating fall activities and had not announced a firm opening date, but it’s expected to go toe-to-toe with Sunday River to achieve early opening bragging rights, knowing that an October or early-November opening produces publicity disproportionate to the amount of terrain actually available.
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast: Don’t Count Out North Carolina
The Mid-Atlantic itself is still waiting for colder weather. Seven Springs remains in fall mode, while Beech Mountain currently lists November 21 as its projected opening date. Most regional resorts have not announced firm winter openings yet.
But one should never overlook the Southern Appalachians.
North Carolina’s highest ski areas sit at elevations that exceed the tallest mountains in New England. For example, Beech Mountain reaches 5,506 feet, the highest summit elevation of any ski area in the east, while Cataloochee and Sugar Mountain top out at 5,400 and 5,300 feet, respectively. When an early-season cold snap settles over those elevations, snow guns can sometimes begin running while ski areas hundreds of miles to the north are still waiting.
Sugar Mountain and Cataloochee have repeatedly taken advantage of their high elevations and aggressive snowmaking operations to open surprisingly early.
Sugar Mountain’s summit reaches about 5,300 feet, while Cataloochee tops out around 5,400 feet. That gives both resorts access to cold air that can arrive well before lower-elevation ski areas farther north are ready to make snow.
Sugar in particular has made early openings something of a tradition. It opened on November 11 last season, November 9 in 2019, November 2 in 2014, and on Halloween in 2012.
Cataloochee has done the same. It opened on October 28 in 2008 and again on October 31 in 2012. In 2008, DCSki noted that Cataloochee briefly opened two trails before shutting down again and waiting for colder weather to return.
As of October 6, Sugar has not announced an opening date and is still preparing for its October 10-11 Oktoberfest. The resort says it generally strives to open by early to mid-November. Cataloochee similarly says opening is entirely weather-dependent and is often decided only 24 to 72 hours in advance.
Did you know? DCSki produces a Mid-Atlantic Skiers’ Forecast, updated several times each day. Using National Weather Service point forecasts for the precise locations of ski areas across the region, it looks at upcoming weather specifically from a skier’s perspective — including temperatures, precipitation, snowmaking opportunities, and potential impacts on slope conditions. You’ll find the latest forecast on DCSki’s home page.
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