Colorado, Usa · Epic
Keystone
3,148 acres, 128 runs near Dillon. Three mountains, extensive night skiing, family-friendly, Epic Pass.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
15 Oct 2025
Closes
5 Apr 2026
Days open
172
Annual snow
20ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Keystone's summit reaches 12,408 feet, dropping 3,128 vertical feet to a base at 9,280 feet across 128 runs spread over 3,148 acres near Dillon, Colorado. Terrain splits 41 per cent intermediate, 21 per cent each for advanced and beginner, and 17 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 235 inches. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Twenty lifts, including seven quad chairs and one gondola, serve the mountain alongside six six-person chairs, one triple chair and five surface lifts.
Keystone holds a distinctive place among Colorado resorts as one of the few offering extensive night skiing, alongside three distinct mountains, Keystone, North Peak and the Outback, that give the resort considerable terrain variety across a single connected area. This combination of night skiing and varied terrain has built Keystone's reputation as a genuinely family-friendly, accessible major resort.
Ketchum, Colorado was renamed Montezuma in 1867 following the discovery of silver in the area, and mining activity continued in the region for decades. Ralston Purina purchased land and developed Keystone Resort, which opened in 1970 as a purpose-built ski destination rather than a converted mining town. The resort expanded considerably over subsequent decades, adding North Peak in 1978 and the Outback in 1999.
Vail Resorts purchased Keystone alongside Breckenridge in 1996 from Ralston Purina's Ralston Resorts subsidiary, bringing both resorts into what would become the Epic Pass network. Adult daily tickets run from 129 to 209 US dollars.
3,130ft
Vertical
131
Runs
3,148 acres
Skiable
20ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
131 runs across 3,148 acres skiable
Keystone spreads 131 runs across 3,148 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 39%, with 16 beginner runs to find your feet and 64 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
131
runs
131 runs across 4 grades
Beginner16 runs · 12%
Intermediate51 runs · 39%
Advanced39 runs · 30%
Expert25 runs · 19%
Time it right
When to visit Keystone
The 2025-26 season at Keystone ran from 24 October 2025 to 20 April 2026, a roughly twenty-six-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 235 inches. Keystone traditionally opens earlier than many Colorado resorts, and this extended season reflects that early-opening tradition alongside reliable late-season conditions.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across Keystone's three mountain areas. As an Epic Pass resort within the Vail Resorts network, Keystone draws substantial visitation from Epic Pass holders alongside families specifically seeking the resort's extensive night-skiing programme and varied, intermediate-weighted terrain.
Keystone's night-skiing operation, among the most extensive in Colorado, continues to draw strong evening visitation throughout the season. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's approachable terrain mix and dedicated programming. Weekend crowds draw heavily from the greater Denver metropolitan area.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and night skiing is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Vail Resorts' 1996 acquisition, Keystone has continued building on more than five decades of history since its 1970 founding by Ralston Purina. The resort's three-mountain terrain variety and family-friendly character remain central to its seasonal appeal.
Season 2025 - 2026
15 Oct 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
172
Days open
20 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Keystone, and where to stay
Keystone sits near Dillon, Colorado, with a base elevation of 9,280 feet and a summit at 12,408 feet across a 3,128-foot vertical drop over 3,148 acres in Summit County. This setting places Keystone within a short drive of Interstate 70, among the more accessible major Colorado resorts.
The town of Keystone and the broader Summit County region, including nearby Dillon and Silverthorne, offer extensive lodging, dining and services within a short drive of the resort. Keystone's own base village provides considerable on-site accommodation directly at the mountain.
US Highway 6 connects Keystone to Interstate 70, providing straightforward access for visitors travelling from Denver and the broader Front Range. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled roads are regularly maintained given the resort's status as a major Colorado destination.
Denver International Airport, roughly a 90-minute drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into Colorado, with Keystone's relative proximity to Denver supporting substantial day-trip and weekend visitation alongside its considerable destination-travel visitor base.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Keystone, powered by Stay22.
Good to know
Frequently asked
When is Keystone's ski season?
Keystone's season typically runs from October 15 to April 5, roughly 172 days, weather and conditions permitting.
How much skiable terrain does Keystone have?
Keystone has about 3,148 acres skiable across 131 runs.
How many lifts does Keystone have?
Keystone operates 20 lifts in total.
How much snow does Keystone get?
Keystone averages around 235 inches (19.6 feet) of snowfall per season.
Where can I buy Keystone lift tickets?
Lift tickets for Keystone can be purchased directly from the resort online, or in person at the ticket office. See the full pricing breakdown on the lift tickets page.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law
Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.
22 July 2026
South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena
South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.
22 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited
Hoshino Tomamu is the ski resort equivalent of a conference hotel that happens to have excellent powder. Built for corporate retreats and package tourists, it offers genuine Hokkaido snow on surprisingly limited terrain - 29 runs spread across 585 vertical metres.
21 July 2026
La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts
La Thuile is spending 38.7 million US dollars on a new 10-person cable car linking Les Suches to Chaz Dura, replacing the La Combe and Chaz Dura chairlifts after nearly forty years of service. Built by Leitner, the new cable car runs 1,950 metres to a top station at 2,576 metres, carrying up to 3,000 people an hour with a six-minute ride. It also improves the connection to La Rosiere in France via the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass, and is on track to open for the 2026/27 season.
21 July 2026
The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain
The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.
21 July 2026
Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow
Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.
21 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall
Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.
19 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May
Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.
18 July 2026