Vail Resorts on Monday announced significant capital investments at Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Keystone Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Those improvements will lead to resorts opening earlier and with more terrain, providing Epic Pass holders and all skiers and snowboarders in Colorado with one of the longest ski and snowboard seasons in the country.
With Keystone’s energy-efficient, automated snowmaking system improvements, it expects to open for the 2019-20 winter season in October, as early as conditions allow. By its traditional opening day in November, Keystone will offer top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding, doubling the terrain access than has typically been open at that time. Keystone plans to be open from October to April 12, 2020.
This season, Breckenridge announced its plans to regularly extend winter seasons through Memorial Day. Thanks to an excellent spring, Breck’s Spring Finale was able to extend past Memorial Day for two additional weekends into June. The resort’s final weekend of skiing and snowboarding for the 2018-19 season will take place this weekend, June 8-9. Breckenridge will open for the 2019-20 winter season on November 8 and will be open through May 25, 2020, conditions permitting. At Breckenridge’s Peak 8 base, the resort will add completely new slopeside guest-service facilities just steps away from the Colorado SuperChair and Rocky Mountain SuperChair. The new 22,000 square foot space will include a Children’s Ski & Snowboard School and childcare facilities, ticket and pass office, and a new ski and snowboard rental concept.
Vail’s extensive snowmaking upgrades and expansion taking place this summer will ensure a pre-Thanksgiving opening day each year. Nearly 200 acres of new and enhanced snowmaking terrain will provide guests with earlier access to higher elevation terrain, top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding, access from two base areas, and improved early season ski school terrain. Vail will be open November 15, 2019 to April 19, 2020.
Beaver Creek will expand snowmaking capabilities at Red Buffalo Park, providing more reliable early season terrain in a key beginner area of the upper mountain. The resort will aim to offer more than 3,300 vertical feet of top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding on opening day each year. Beaver Creek will be open November 27, 2019 to April 12, 2020.
This summer, Crested Butte Mountain Resort will be replacing the Teocalli Lift, improving the on-mountain guest experience with increased uphill capacity, a secondary egress to the base area and quick access to beginner and intermediate terrain. The fixed-grip quad chairlift will increase uphill capacity by 50 percent. Crested Butte will be open November 27, 2019 to April 12, 2020.
With Keystone opening earlier and Breckenridge extending its winter seasons, Epic Pass holders can enjoy skiing and snowboarding in Colorado from October through May.
