Arapahoe Basin opened its lifts at 11 a.m. Wednesday, becoming the first Colorado ski area to welcome guests for the 2026-27 season. The opening kicks off the resort's 80th year of operation with a string of anniversary deals, including $80 lift tickets every Wednesday of the season.
The Black Mountain Express chairlift began spinning to serve High Noon, an intermediate run, according to Summit Daily. Guest services was already open to sell lift tickets, the outlet reported, while the 6th Alley Bar & Grill opened at 9 a.m. and Black Mountain Lodge was set to follow in the afternoon. As reported by the Denver Gazette, the resort plans to continue snowmaking and open additional terrain as conditions allow, per a press release.
Alan Henceroth, Arapahoe Basin's president and CEO, said the ski area was eager to begin its anniversary season and invite guests back, per the Gazette's reporting. He credited a collaborative, fast-working approach for getting the mountain open quickly this year, the paper noted.
A Race Colorado Skiers Know Well
Wednesday's opening landed earlier than several of Arapahoe Basin's recent season starts. The resort opened October 29 in 2023, and both A-Basin and Keystone opened November 2 in 2024, according to the same Summit Daily report. Last year, Keystone jumped ahead with an October 24 opening at 3 p.m., edging out A-Basin by less than a day, the station's report noted. Summit Daily describes the two resorts as having gone back and forth for years over the bragging rights of opening first.
Skiers and riders holding an Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Pass get unlimited access to Arapahoe Basin, per the same account. The mountain's base sits at 10,800 feet, with hike-to terrain climbing to nearly 13,000 feet, according to the Denver Post.
80 Years, 80 Dollars, 80-Year-Old Skiers
Arapahoe Basin, founded in 1946, is marking its 80th season with a run of themed promotions. Lift tickets will cost $80 every Wednesday throughout the 2026-27 season, as reported by FREESKIER. Skiers who are 80 years old can ride free on Wednesdays all season long, the outlet reported.
The Gazette also noted that opening-day festivities included giveaways and live music, and that the resort's anniversary celebration is planned for its Dec. 6-7 birthday weekend. Aspen Snowmass, celebrating its own milestone anniversary, will run a similar $80 lift-ticket deal the weekend of December 12-13, according to the Denver Post.
Leaner Crowds, Bigger Profits
The early opening comes against the backdrop of a notable shift in Arapahoe Basin's business since it dropped out of the Epic Pass program. In the season before 5280's 2023 article, the resort recorded 40 percent fewer guests yet saw profits climb 20 percent, according to 5280. The magazine also pointed to the mountain's 2018 Beavers/Steep Gullies expansion, which added 468 acres of terrain, as part of its evolving identity as what the outlet called an anti-resort.
With lifts now running, Arapahoe Basin's guest-services window, bar and High Noon run are open, with the lodge set to follow. Whether Keystone or another Colorado resort challenges the timing next year remains to be seen, but for now, the mountain above Summit County has claimed the season's opening day.
