Colorado ski resorts in need of snow

The Associated Press
Aspen, CO Colorado

NEDERLAND, Colo. ” Eldora Mountain Resort plans to open for the ski season Friday, though that could be moved back if there’s not enough snow.

Six Colorado resorts have already opened, with the help of chilly temperatures that allowed for snowmaking operations. Arapahoe Basin on the Continental Divide was the first to open Oct. 10 and had a base of 18 inches Monday.

Keystone opened Nov. 2, a week earlier than scheduled, after a series of October storms. It had an 18-inch base Monday.

But in southwest Colorado, Wolf Creek Ski Area reported two of its 1,600 skiable acres open Monday, with a mid-mountain base of 2 inches.

Flurries fell on the Colorado mountains Monday as a cold front moved through, good news for ski areas that have been experiencing dry, warmer-than-average weather this month. It could bring 3 to 6 inches of new snow to the Continental Divide.

But Ellen Heffernan with the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction wasn’t holding out a lot of hope for Vail, where the ski resort is set to open Friday. She said a dry pattern hanging over Vail is likely to persist into late November.

Vail plans to start the season with only one trail open. The last two years, early snow allowed Vail to open with more trails.

The weather service said there was a chance of more isolated snow showers in the Eldora area, west of Boulder, this week.

Two other resorts are scheduled to open this week. Winter Park is due to open Wednesday and Crested Butte expects to open Saturday.

Aspen Mountain and Snowmass, also hurting for snow, are scheduled to open Thanksgiving Day.

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