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Latest in Aspen
Aspen Snowmass Marks 80th Anniversary With $3.75 Throwback Lift Tickets
Aspen Snowmass turns 80 this December, and it's marking the milestone with $3.75 lift tickets on the anniversary itself - the original 1946 price. A discounted long weekend, $19.46 dining specials, lodging deals up to 46 percent off, and a season of anniversary programming round out the celebration across all four mountains.
Michael Fulton
Aspen Highlands Triggers Major Spring Avalanche in Highland Bowl
Ski patrol triggered a sizeable wet loose avalanche in Highland Bowl at Aspen Highlands in late April, with the slide captured on camera from Aspen Mountain's Sundeck Restaurant. The controlled avalanche suggests Highland Bowl won't reopen this season.
Michael Fulton
Aspen Highlands Files 10-Year Plan With New Gondola and Lift Upgrades to Tackle Congestion
Aspen Highlands has submitted its 2025 Master Development Plan to the Forest Service, outlining a decade of proposed upgrades including a two-stage gondola, a new mid-mountain chairlift, and dining expansions. Nothing is approved yet, but the vision is worth knowing about.
Michael Fulton
Aspen Occupancy Down 5.5% as International Boycotts and Weak Snowfall Hit Bookings
Aspen's winter season is tracking 5.5% behind last year through January, with Australian tour operators reporting boycotts related to US politics and a 30% drop in American bookings. Hotels are maintaining revenue by raising rates, but the combination of political sentiment, unfavourable exchange rates, and Colorado's poor early-season snowfall has dampened what's typically the resort's strongest period for international visitors.
Michael Fulton
Aspen's Chalet Alpina: Another Ultra-Luxury Development in a Saturated Market
Construction of Chalet Alpina, a new luxury hotel and residential complex, is underway at Aspen Snowmass. While promising high-end amenities and ski-in/ski-out access, it raises questions about affordability and the future direction of this already exclusive ski town.
Michael Fulton
American Airlines Boosts Flights to Major Ski Resorts for 2025-26 Season
American Airlines announces new routes and expanded services to popular ski destinations for the 2025-26 winter season, including Sun Valley, Santa Fe, and Aspen.
Michael Fulton
Aspen Snowmass Invests $80 Million in Resort Upgrades
Aspen Snowmass announces major improvements for the 2025-26 season, including new lifts at Snowmass, lodge renovations, and resort-wide enhancements to elevate the skiing experience.
Michael Fulton
Winter Park's $37 Million Snowmaking Upgrade Extends Ski Season
Winter Park Resort has invested $37 million in snowmaking upgrades, enabling earlier openings and later closings. The investment aims to extend the ski season, with the resort now boasting one of the longest seasons in Colorado.
Michael Fulton
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More from the SnowStash desk
Vermont Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Few Dates Set, Killington Waits on the Cold
Vermont's season is slow to take shape. Stratton is tentatively targeting 18 November and Sugarbush 21 November, while Pico has Friday 11 December on the calendar. Killington never sets a date and opens when the snowmaking allows, and Vail Resorts has yet to name days for Stowe, Okemo and Mount Snow. The forecasts disagree about snow, and the main El Niño worry for the Green Mountains is warmth.
9 Oct 2026
California Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Mammoth Leads, Tahoe Follows
Mammoth Mountain is first up in California, targeting Friday 13 November after a dusting of September snow. Heavenly and Northstar follow on 20 November, Palisades Tahoe on Wednesday 25 November and Sugar Bowl on 27 November, with Kirkwood on 4 December and June Mountain on 19 December. Plenty of smaller areas have no date yet. A super El Niño favours the Sierra, but a warmer storm track is the catch.
7 Oct 2026
Colorado Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: A-Basin and Keystone Race to Be First
Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Winter Park are all chasing an October start, though none has a firm date yet. The first dated openers are Breckenridge and Copper on Friday 6 November, then Vail on 13 November, with most of the rest bunched around US Thanksgiving. Hesperus did not open at all last season. A super El Niño offers hope but no guarantee, and forecasters say the southern mountains have the better odds.
5 Oct 2026
Dolomiti Superski 2026-27: Four New Gondolas, New Reservoirs and an €89 Peak Day Pass
Dolomiti Superski is spending around €100 million across its 12 areas before winter. Kronplatz gets a new 10-passenger gondola with a middle station, 3 Zinnen gets Helmissimo, and Val di Fassa swaps a chairlift for a gondola above Col Valvacin. New water-storage basins and upgraded snowmaking follow, and construction has started on the San Martino to Passo Rolle link. A peak adult day pass is €89.
4 Oct 2026
Utah Ski Resort Opening Dates 2026-27: Brian Head First, Eagle Point Out
Brian Head is targeting 6 November, though last year it aimed for 7 November and did not open until the 25th. Park City, Alta and Solitude are pencilled in for 20 November, Snowbird and Snowbasin for 27 November, and Deer Valley for 5 December. Eagle Point will stay closed after the Cottonwood Fire. A super El Niño is forecast, but the big snow is not expected until January.
4 Oct 2026
Hintertux Glacier Opens for 2026-27 With 12 Kilometres of Piste
Hintertux became Austria's second glacier to open for 2026-27 on Friday 2 October, after the Pitztal Glacier. Twelve kilometres of piste are running around the Olperer and Gefrorene Wand, served by one gondola and two drag lifts, with the Betterpark also open. Lifts officially run 8:15 am to 4:30 pm, but skiing stops at 2 pm for now.
4 Oct 2026
Vail Resorts Counts the Cost of a Thin Winter as Pass Sales Slide Further
A historically poor western winter cut Vail Resorts' annual net income from $280 million to $147.5 million and skier visits by 13.4 per cent. Now 2026-27 pass units are down 12 per cent as of 18 September, worse than the 10 per cent flagged in spring. Vail blames the weather and thinks some buyers are simply waiting, and it forecasts a rebound if the snow behaves.
3 Oct 2026
Arizona Snowbowl's $1 Lift Tickets Are Hard to Find, but $9 Days Are Not
Arizona Snowbowl advertised eight $1 lift ticket days this winter. Go looking and only three are showing - 10 March, 1 April and 10 April - so the rest may already have gone. The consolation is a calendar full of $9 days, including all but one day in April. Opening day is 20 November, weather permitting, and opening weekend is $19.
2 Oct 2026