
Winter Park's summit reaches 12,060 feet, dropping 3,060 vertical feet to a base at 9,000 feet across 165 runs spread over 3,081 acres near Winter Park, Colorado. Terrain splits 37 per cent intermediate, 24 per cent advanced, 21 per cent beginner and 18 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 320 inches. The resort carries Ikon Pass affiliation. Twenty-three lifts, including seven quad chairs and one gondola, serve the mountain alongside five six-person chairs, three double chairs, three triple chairs and four surface lifts.
Winter Park holds the distinction of being Colorado's oldest continuously operating ski resort still in its original location, and its considerable terrain includes Mary Jane, a distinct mogul-and-glade-heavy area renowned among expert skiers. The resort's long-standing municipal ownership connection to the city of Denver adds a genuinely unusual chapter to its history.
The city of Denver developed Winter Park in 1940, opening it as a municipally owned recreation area accessible via the Moffat Tunnel railroad, making skiing available to Denver residents decades before the Interstate 70 corridor resorts existed. This municipal ownership continued for decades, a genuinely unusual arrangement among major American ski resorts.
Mary Jane opened as a separate mountain area in 1975, quickly building a reputation for challenging, ungroomed terrain distinct from Winter Park's more moderate main mountain. The city of Denver eventually leased resort operations to private management, and Alterra Mountain Company took over operations in 2019, bringing Winter Park into the Ikon Pass network. Adult daily tickets run from 129 to 199 US dollars.
Winter Park covers 3,081 acres (1,247 hectares) across 171 runs about 67 miles west of Denver, Colorado. Lifts run from 9,000 ft (2,743 m) to 12,060 ft (3,676 m), a vertical of 3,060 ft (933 m). Half of the terrain is advanced, with 24 per cent beginner, 22 per cent intermediate and 4 per cent expert, an unusual weighting that leaves the middle thin. Roughly 345 inches of snow falls a year. The mountain is divided into several territories, including Winter Park, Mary Jane and Vasquez Ridge, which share one lift ticket and are skied as one resort.
Mary Jane is the bump mountain, known for moguls and tree skiing that skiers come specifically to lap, and its above-treeline Parsenn Bowl is a territory in its own right. Vasquez Ridge offers intermediate terrain and mogul runs, while Vasquez Cirque, about 435 acres of former backcountry terrain, is reached by a hike from the top of Mary Jane and gives confident skiers steeper lines. The Eagle Wind lift and the glades below the cirque provide an easier route back to Mary Jane. It suits advanced skiers and bump fans in particular, and its distance from Denver makes day trips easy.
The 2025-26 season at Winter Park ran from 14 November 2025 to 19 April 2026, a roughly twenty-three-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 320 inches. Season dates can shift depending on early and late-season weather conditions.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions across both Winter Park's main mountain and the Mary Jane terrain. As an Ikon Pass resort under Alterra Mountain Company management, Winter Park draws substantial visitation from Ikon Pass holders alongside considerable day-trip traffic from Denver, given the resort's historic municipal connection to the city.
Winter Park's status as Colorado's oldest continuously operating resort continues to draw visitors interested in the mountain's long skiing heritage. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation to the main mountain's approachable terrain, while Mary Jane draws dedicated expert skiers throughout the season.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Alterra's 2019 takeover of operations, Winter Park has continued building on more than eight decades of history since its 1940 founding by the city of Denver. The resort's dual terrain character and deep Denver heritage remain central to its enduring popularity.
Winter Park sits near the town of Winter Park, Colorado, with a base elevation of 9,000 feet and a summit at 12,060 feet across a 3,060-foot vertical drop over 3,081 acres. This setting places the resort within a comparatively short drive of Denver, reflecting its origins as a municipally developed recreation area for the city.
The town of Winter Park and nearby Fraser offer extensive lodging, dining and services within a short drive of the resort's base village.
US Highway 40 over Berthoud Pass provides direct access to the resort from the Denver metropolitan area, offering an alternative route to the Interstate 70 corridor used by many other Colorado resorts. Winter driving conditions on this mountain pass can include significant snow and ice, and travellers should carry appropriate equipment.
Denver International Airport, roughly a two-hour drive away, is the primary gateway for visitors flying into Colorado, with Winter Park's comparative proximity to Denver, historically connected by rail through the Moffat Tunnel, supporting substantial day-trip and weekend visitation from the Front Range.
Hotels and lodges near Winter Park, powered by Stay22.

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.

Less than four months out from the Crans-Montana 2027 World Championships, the man running the organising committee has stepped down. Claude-Alain Schmidhalter resigned as Swiss-Ski vice president and OC president after being indicted over a business dispute unrelated to skiing. He denies the allegations and faces court on October 27. Interim leaders are in place for the February 1-14 event.

Kelly Canyon had a rough 2025-26, and the Idaho resort has spent the summer making sure it doesn’t repeat. Snowmaking now reaches the top of Goldrush, the terrain park is doubling in size with a stereo system, lights and a snack shack, and the car park is getting bigger. Grooming is stepping up too. Target opening is December 4, conditions permitting.

Winter was meant to be winding down in Chile. Then Valle Nevado took 108 cm in 48 hours in early October, and the resort has pushed its closing date out to November 8 - its latest in 38 years of operation. That makes 143 days of skiing since opening day on June 19, with 690 cm banked for the season. Only part of the mountain is running while the storm settles, so check the mountain report before you plan a trip.

The Alps look a lot more like winter today, for a day or so. A cold front is moving west to east, dropping up to 35 cm on high glaciers and peaks, with snow levels falling to around 1,500-1,800 m at times. Don’t plan a trip around it: mid-elevation snow will be thin and wet, every area is closed bar a limited Sölden glacier opening tomorrow, and warmer weather returns by Monday.

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.

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.

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.
Opening day for the winter 2026 - 2027 season is scheduled for Oct 30, 2026 (subject to change). Lift tickets at Winter Park typically go on sale well before the start of the ski season.
Our lift ticket pricing was last updated on Oct 8, 2026.
Day passes start from US$20, with peak rates up to US$207.
1-Day Lift Ticket at Winter Park Resort for the 2026/27 season, ages 13 and over. Winter Park (Alterra Mountain Company) uses fully dynamic date-based pricing; regular/peak reflect the confirmed low/high price observed on the resort's own booking calendar (Dec 2, 2026 non-holiday to Dec 26, 2026 holiday). December sample only - January/February peak weeks may run higher.
Buy pass1-Day Lift Ticket for children 5-12 at Winter Park Resort for the 2026/27 season. Dynamic date-based pricing; regular/peak reflect the confirmed low/high price observed on the resort's own booking calendar (Dec 2, 2026 non-holiday to Dec 26, 2026 holiday). December sample only.
Buy pass1-Day Lift Ticket for children 4 and under at Winter Park Resort for the 2026/27 season - confirmed flat price from the resort's own booking calendar, unlike other age tiers this does not vary by date.
Buy pass2-out-of-3-Day Lift Ticket at Winter Park Resort for the 2026/27 season, ages 13 and over - ski any 2 of 3 consecutive days. Dynamic date-based pricing; regular/peak reflect the confirmed low/high total price observed on the resort's own booking calendar (Dec 2, 2026 non-holiday start to Dec 26, 2026 holiday start). December sample only.
Buy pass3-out-of-5-Day Lift Ticket at Winter Park Resort for the 2026/27 season, ages 13 and over - ski any 3 of 5 consecutive days. Dynamic date-based pricing; regular/peak reflect the confirmed low/high total price observed on the resort's own booking calendar (Dec 2, 2026 non-holiday start to Dec 26, 2026 holiday start). December sample only.
Buy passIkon Session Pass (Adult) - a flexible 2-7 day multi-resort pass covering Winter Park among other Ikon destinations. Confirmed current 26/27 starting price; price varies by number of days.
Buy passIkon Pass (Adult) - Winter Park does not sell its own season pass; season-long access is via the standard, multi-resort Ikon Pass, which grants unlimited, unrestricted access to Winter Park plus dozens of other Ikon destinations. Confirmed current 26/27 flat price.
Buy passIkon Base Pass (Adult) - a lower-cost alternative to the full Ikon Pass; grants access to Winter Park with holiday blackout dates. Confirmed current 26/27 flat price.
Buy passMore Winter Park intelligence: snow report, webcams, resort overview.