Early season skiing and snowboarding isn’t for everyone — that’s one of the great things about it.
Most years it’s just the compulsive skiers and riders like myself that start twitching at the first sight of snow in the high country. As October and November progress, the storms keep rolling through, and our irrational minds slowly take over. We know that early season skiing is going to be a scaled-down version of the sport we love, but eventually we just have to get up there.
“This time of year it’s not about getting face shots in 24 inches of powder,” said Jennifer Rudolph of Colorado Ski Country USA, the trade association that represents the state’s 21 resorts not owned by Vail and Associates. “Early season is about the camaraderie, about doing something you love out where it’s beautiful — even if it is just one run.”
It’s not just junkies who should head to the hills while the Halloween candy is still fresh enough to stuff into ski jacket pockets. Early skiing and snowboarding means fewer skiers, milder weather and, best of all, major bargains on lodging and tickets. Variable conditions always make autumn skiing a gamble, but with this season’s early snow, the odds are in our favor.
In years past, being among the first to usher in the new season meant making quick turns on a single white strip of winter surrounded by bare earth on either side. But this year several resorts, including Wolf Creek, Breckenridge and Winter Park, opened on a powder day.
“Early season, late season, mid-season — it all comes down to the snow,” Rudolph said.
As locals know, there is no discernible pattern to Mother Nature’s whims — especially this time of year.
“Skiers are always looking for signs,” said Winter Park’s Steve Hurlbert. “This year everyone was talking about how high the skunk cabbage was at a local farm and that the higher the cabbage, the more snow we were going to get. But when it was in the 50s in October, I had a hard time believing the skunk cabbage.”
Hurlbert needn’t have worried. After receiving 63 inches of snow by Nov. 17, the most to accumulate in November since 2005, Mary Jane was able to open the day after Thanksgiving.
An eye to the skies
Being an early season skier or rider means being a snow stalker. To get the goods you have to keep one eye to the hills and the other on the Weather Channel.
A couple of Novembers ago I skied the same two hard-packed runs all day at Aspen one day and woke up to nearly 2 feet of fresh snow the next.
What Mother Nature doesn’t deliver, we hope the ski patrol will.
“Opening a run involves a lot of teamwork,” Russell Carlton of Vail Resorts explains. “Patrol ultimately makes the call when a run is ready to go — as they have to not only assess the snow conditions, but prepare the slope by marking and/or padding obstacles, running any necessary boundary ropes, putting up signage, etc.”
Being there for the opening of new terrain is an early Christmas gift for the snow rider. Last year at Loveland, the patrol let a few of us down a closed run to help them “pack it down.” The bottom of my skis never touched bare ground.
In the age of social media, being there when the rope drops isn’t just a matter of luck. Most resorts post information on Facebook, Twitter and their website about when they will be opening new terrain.
Technology can not only tell you where the goods are, it can also create them. Growing up in the dark ages, before serious snowmaking, my family rarely went skiing until after Christmas. Now, it’s a whole different holiday that kicks off the season.
“Thanksgiving weekend just keeps getting busier and busier,” Hurlbert said. “Some of that is out-of-state folks looking for bragging rights, but the majority of the people we see are passholders.”
Continuing to nudge the ski season earlier into the fall months, Beaver Creek is debuting a new snowmaking system that allowed the resort to open more terrain sooner. The new snowmaking guns at the bottom of Larkspur Bowl let them make snow at the bottom of the bowl for better early- and late-season conditions, says Beaver Creek’s Jen Brown. “Snowmaking crews are in the process of moving there now, and normally we just get started in Larkspur in early December once trails like Gold Dust and others on the main mountain are finished. This is an earlier start.”
Gold Dust was not only well covered for the resort’s Nov. 26 opening, it will be for the season. With the flick of a switch, a new automated system can spray the popular egress with a blanket of snow on the nights Mother Nature takes off.
Here’s another good reason to head to the hills early: I haven’t encountered an early season crowd in years. Last year we skied Vail on opening weekend and never had to wait in line.
This year, Dad and I called it “getting the kinks out” when we headed up to Winter Park the week before Thanksgiving. Dad, who like Winter Park itself will be celebrating a 75th birthday in 2015, was reminded how he needs to get his boots loosened up. Meanwhile I got to practice panting after a summer spent several thousand feet below.
It was a beautiful day, with a bluebird sky lighting up the fresh, white covering of snow on the trees. Aaaah, it was good to be home after the long dry spell of summer.
So get up there and remind yourself of what you love about this sport — after all there’s only six months left of the ski season.
Freelance travel writer and Fort Collins resident Chryss Cada is an adjunct professor of journalism at Colorado State University. She can be found on the Web at chryss.com and chrysscada.wordpress.com.
Early season white sale
Take advantage of early season deals before the holiday hordes arrive. Below is a partial listing of this year’s discount offerings:
Arapahoe Basin: Children 14 and under can ski or snowboard for free at A-Basin any day through Dec. 19. In addition, from 10 a.m. until noon on Sundays during A-Basin’s Kids Ski Free period, guests of any age and ability are matched with an instructor for one run from the Black Mountain Express lift to the base area. arapahoebasin.com
Aspen Snowmass: Guests at Aspen Snowmass who purchase a minimum of two days will receive 50 percent off lift tickets, equipment rentals and lodging and can enjoy up to 50 percent off select Ski & Snowboard School lessons through Dec. 19. aspensnowmass.com
Crested Butte Mountain Resort: Children 12 and under ski for free until Dec. 18. For more information, visit skicb.com. In addition, guests at the Grand Lodge Crested Butte will receive a free night’s lodging for every night purchased through Dec. 26. skicb.com
Copper Mountain: Last Chance Lodging gets you 33 percent off up to three nights at Copper from now through Dec. 25. coppercolorado.com.
Loveland: The resort has teamed with lodging properties in Clear Creek and Summit Counties to provide skiers and snowboarders with discounted ski and stay packages. lovelandreservations.com
Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort: Through Dec. 11, guests at Durango Mountain Resort will save 20 percent on lodging and enjoy early season discounted lift tickets. durangomountainresort.com.
Steamboat: The Boat Launch Pass entitles guests at Steamboat to three days of skiing and snowboarding for $159 and up to 35 percent off lodging in Steamboat through Dec. 20. Days do not need to be used consecutively; advance purchase is required. steamboat.com
Ski Granby Ranch: The resort is hosting “Carve Away Hunger” for opening weekend to help support its local food pantry, the Mountain Family Center. On Dec. 11, 12 and 14, guests who bring items to support the Mountain Family Center’s Children’s Totes Program will receive a discounted lift ticket. Guests who bring a full bag of non-perishable foods to the resort on Dec. 13 will receive a complimentary lift ticket.granbyranch.com
Vail/Beaver Creek/Breckenridge/Keystone: Lodging is up to 35 percent off during the early season at Vail’s four resorts. snow.com/planavacation/vacationdeals.aspx
Winter Park Resort: The Four Pass, which features four days of skiing/riding with no blackouts, is $219 through Dec. 19. winterparkresort.com
Wolf Creek: During the early season, skiers and snowboarders visiting Wolf Creek on local appreciation days will enjoy the rate of $41 for adults and $24 for seniors and children. In addition, college students who visit Wolf Creek on college days and present a valid college photo ID will be eligible to purchase a $41 adult lift ticket. Visit WolfCreekSki.com for the dates of all local appreciation days and college days. —Chryss Cada
