On Friday, Arapahoe Basin became the first Colorado ski resort to open this season, . The ski area was running its Black Mountain Express chairlift to midmountain, and the intermediate High Noon run was open with an 18-inch base.
A-Basin, the highest ski area in Colorado, is typically among the first to open. The area benefited from about a foot of natural snow in the past few weeks, along with conditions that were “outstanding for snowmaking,” since maintenance crews began making snow earlier this month, according to chief operating officer Alan Henceroth.