Ski Season 2026-2027: Every Resort Opening Date in the US and Canada
35+ resorts across the US and Canada, from Arapahoe Basin (Oct 9) to Silverton Mountain (Dec 31). Arizona Snowbowl already got real snow. Every confirmed and projected 2026-2027 opening date.
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Arizona Snowbowl got 2 inches of real snow on 29 September 2026, nearly two months before its scheduled 20 November opening. Arapahoe Basin in Colorado is racing to open by 9 October, which would be the earliest start in the resort's history if the weather holds. Across North America, more than 35 resorts now have an announced or projected 2026-2027 opening date, and the season is already underway before most people have booked a lift ticket.
Key facts:
First natural snow: Arizona Snowbowl, 29 September 2026, 2 inches
Earliest North American opening target: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, projected 9 October 2026
Already open on stockpiled snow: Levi and Ruka in Finland, since 2 October
Latest confirmed 2026-2027 opening: Silverton Mountain, Colorado, 31 December
Why resorts open early: snowmaking plus, in Finland's case, snow physically stockpiled since last winter, not just natural snowfall
This year's backdrop: a historically strong El Nino, which tends to favor the southern Rockies and Sierra Nevada over the northern Rockies
Winter Park Ski Resort, Colorado. Photo: Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Which ski resort opens first for the 2026-2027 season?
Levi and Ruka in Finland, on 2 October, running on snow stockpiled since last winter rather than anything that fell this fall. In North America specifically, Arapahoe Basin in Colorado is targeting 9 October, which would need a sustained cold stretch to hold up, since a few mild afternoons can melt away a thin, early base fast.
Four real markers from this season's opening race, in the order they happened or are projected to.
Has real snow already fallen this season?
Yes. Arizona Snowbowl, near Flagstaff, picked up 2 inches on the San Francisco Peaks on 29 September, the season's first measurable snowfall at a major US ski area. It melted within a day, but the resort said conditions could let it open days or weeks ahead of its scheduled 20 November start.
When do Colorado's ski resorts open in 2026-2027?
Arapahoe Basin leads on 9 October, and Colorado's 20 resorts fill in the entire season through Silverton Mountain's 31 December close-out, holding both the earliest and the latest North American openings in one state.
Date | Resort |
|---|---|
Oct 9 (projected) | Arapahoe Basin |
Oct 30 (projected) | Winter Park |
Oct 31 (projected) | Keystone |
Nov 6 | Breckenridge |
Nov 6 | Copper Mountain |
Nov 6 | Loveland |
Nov 13 | Eldora Mountain |
Nov 13 | Vail |
Nov 20 | Purgatory |
Nov 21 | Steamboat |
Nov 21 | Wolf Creek |
Nov 25 | Beaver Creek |
Nov 25 | Crested Butte |
Nov 26 | Aspen Mountain / Snowmass |
Nov 26 (targeted) | Telluride |
Nov 27 | Granby Ranch |
Dec 4 (projected) | Monarch Mountain |
Dec 4 (projected) | Powderhorn |
Dec 9 | Ski Cooper |
Dec 12 | Aspen Highlands / Buttermilk |
Dec 31 | Silverton Mountain |
Colorado alone spans the full length of the season, holding both the earliest North American opening and the latest.
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Our Colorado snow guide covers what NOAA and both almanacs expect for the state's winter overall, separate from any single resort's opening date.
When do ski resorts open in Utah, California and the rest of North America?
Brian Head in Utah leads the rest of the continent on 6 November, and the remaining resorts spread through late November.
Date | Resort | State or province |
|---|---|---|
Nov 6 | Brian Head | Utah |
Nov 6 | Lake Louise | Alberta, Canada |
Nov 13 | Mammoth Mountain | California |
Nov 20 (scheduled, may open early) | Arizona Snowbowl | Arizona |
Nov 20 | Alta | Utah |
Nov 20 | Park City Mountain | Utah |
Nov 20 | Solitude Mountain | Utah |
Nov 20 | Grand Targhee | Wyoming |
Nov 20 | Heavenly | California |
Nov 20 | Northstar | California |
Nov 20 | Whistler Blackcomb | British Columbia, Canada |
Nov 21 | Sun Peaks | British Columbia, Canada |
Nov 21 (projected) | Sugarbush | Vermont |
Nov 25 | Palisades Tahoe | California |
Nov 25 | Big Sky | Montana |
Nov 25 | Snowshoe | West Virginia |
Nov 26 | Big White | British Columbia, Canada |
Nov 27 | Snowbird | Utah |
Nov 27 | Snowbasin | Utah |
How do resorts open this early, before real winter even starts?
Snowmaking, and in Finland's case, snow saved from the previous winter. Levi and Ruka stockpile huge mounds of machine-made snow each spring, insulate them under reflective covers through the summer heat, then uncover and groom whatever survives into a limited but real opening run by early October. US and Canadian resorts rely on snowmaking machines that only work below freezing, which is why a run of cold nights, not a big storm, is usually what actually decides an early opening date.
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Snowmaking at Kokonniemi ski resort, Porvoo, Finland. Photo: Htm, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Does this year's El Nino mean a better or worse ski season?
Mixed, and it depends heavily on where. A historically strong El Nino tends to push the storm track south, which has usually meant less snow for the northern Rockies and the Upper Midwest and more for the southern Rockies and California's Sierra Nevada. None of that determines any single resort's opening date this early in the season, since a run of cold nights for snowmaking matters more in September and October than the seasonal pattern does.
What does this mean for ski trip planning?
Book around a resort's actual terrain percentage, not just whether it's technically open. An opening day with two or three runs on machine-made snow is a real opening day, but it's not the same trip as visiting six weeks later once more lifts and terrain are running. Our USA winter forecast hub covers the broader seasonal outlook if you're planning a trip further out than opening weekend.
What are the limits of this guide?
Every date above marked "projected" or "targeted" is exactly that, an estimate, and resorts move them in both directions based on real temperature and snowfall in the days before. Arapahoe Basin's own 9 October target depends on holding a cold stretch long enough to build its opening run, and a few mild afternoons can push that back. Treat this as the state of play as of early October 2026, not a locked schedule, and check a resort's own site before booking travel around its opening weekend.
Quick answers about ski season 2026-2027
Which ski resort opens first in North America for 2026-2027?
Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, is targeting 9 October 2026.
Has any ski resort already opened for 2026-2027?
Yes. Levi and Ruka in Finland opened 2 October on snow stockpiled from last winter.
Has natural snow already fallen this ski season?
Yes. Arizona Snowbowl got 2 inches on 29 September 2026, months ahead of its scheduled 20 November opening.
When does Vail open for 2026-2027?
13 November 2026.
When do Utah's resorts open?
Brian Head leads on 6 November, with Alta, Park City and Solitude targeting 20 November, and Snowbird and Snowbasin following on 27 November.
What is the last North American resort to open for 2026-2027?
Silverton Mountain, Colorado, confirmed for 31 December.
Sources
Colorado Public Radio, Colorado ski resort opening dates, 2 October 2026
Ski Utah and the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah resort opening dates 2026-27
Unofficial Networks and Powder, North American and California resort opening-date roundups, 2026
AZFamily and SnowBrains, reporting on Arizona Snowbowl's September snowfall and Levi/Ruka's stockpiled-snow opening
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