Some Big US Ski Areas Miss Thanksgiving Opening

It’s an important weekend at the start of the US ski season, with resorts battling to open as much terrain as they can for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

Many resorts that can open, have opened, sometimes a week or two later than hoped but in time for the long weekend. However with a mostly mild November on the western side of the country, most have struggled to open more than as mile or two of runs whilst some have opened at all.  A proportion of those that planned to open for Thanksgiving have not been able to at all.

Currently it’s more southerly ski areas that are posting the most open and the deepest early snowpacks. Colorado’s Wolf Creek has jumped to 70% open in the past few days with two-feet (60cm) of snow lying to currently offer the largest ski area open in the US, although it’s a fast changing picture.  It’s also looking good at the Arizona Snowbowl where, unlike most of the rest of the werst, early season snowfalls have been 400% above average for late November.

Of America’s big-name resorts, California’s Mammoth has about a third of its 150 named trails, 11 terrain parks and 3,500 acres of skiable terrain open. The resort, which started its season a week later than hoped, has seen 36 inches (90cm) of natural snowfall so far this season, and currently has a 30-inch (75cm) base at the summit and a 15-inch (38cm) base at Main Lodge.

In another sign of how the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend is looking different to usual, three of the top five US areas posting the most terrain open are in New England, after a wintry November there. Vermont’s Stowe and Killington as well as New Hampshire’s Loon Mountain are up ahead of some of America’s biggest resorts like Montana’s Big Sky which just opened 1% of its terrain, California’s Heavenly (also 1% open) and Colorado’s Vail (3%).

This week Jackson Hole, which has hoped to open tomorrow, on November 28^th, became the latest to delay joining the like of Park City and Palisades. It blamed “unseasonably warm temperatures and lack of snowfall.”

So far it has had 26 inches of snowfall mid-mountain through November and the often warm conditions have affected the resort’s snowmaking efforts, resulting in insufficient coverage to open terrain.

“The mountain just needs a little more time, but we are monitoring conditions closely, and the forecast is favorable for both snowfall and snowmaking,” said Jackson Hole Mountain Resort CEO Doug Pierini, who added, “We’re making every effort to open as soon as possible and expect to announce Opening Day for our historic 60th Anniversary season soon. We thank our Mountain Operations team for their incredibly hard work to get the Resort ready and we look forward to celebrating Opening Day together soon!”

In Colorado Beaver Creek Resort has delayed its planned opening although it has now announced it will open on Sunday, 30 November.

“Our team has been preparing all summer to welcome guests back to the slopes. Despite their dedicated efforts, Mother Nature ran a little late for the 2025/26 ski and ride season. With mild temps lingering longer than usual at lower elevations, we’re giving winter a little extra time to ensure we open with the quality experience guests expect of the resort and delaying our Opening Day until we can guarantee those conditions,” Beaver Creek said in a press release.

Telluride, which was planning to open on Thanksgiving has announced that it would be opening on Dec. 6.  However, Purgatory has managed to open at 9 a.m. this Friday, Nov. 28, marking 60 years of skiing in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.

Opening Day Festivities will include first chair celebration and complimentary pancake breakfast at Village Express (Lift 1). Opening day terrain will include the Westfork and Limbo trails serviced by the Engineer (Lift 2). Skiers and riders will use Purgatory Express (Lift 1) for both uphill access and downloading back to the base due to early-season conditions.

“We’re excited to officially kick off Purgatory’s 60th season,” said Dave Rathbun, general manager. “Thanks to a combination of natural snowfall and a massive around-the-clock effort from our snowmaking crews, we're ready to welcome guests back on the slopes for another outstanding season.”