Environment

The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Thanksgiving skiing limited to Snowmass

Aspen Public Radio | By Elizabeth Stewart-Severy

Published November 23, 2016 at 3:21 PM MST

For the first time in nearly a decade, Aspen Mountain will not be open for Thanksgiving Day skiing.

Skiers and riders at Snowmass will have limited terrain at the Meadows, and company spokesman Jeff Hanle said SkiCo hopes to open lower Fanny Hill as well.

Those hoping to keep an Aspen Mountain tradition alive will have to settle for sight-seeing. The gondolas on Ajax and at Elk Camp will be free today as a holiday gift.

Aspen Mountain could be open by the weekend.

“It’s gonna depend on the cold weather we get and how much snow we can make, but we’re hoping sometime on the weekend, it might be by Monday, that we might be able to get Little Nell open,” Hanle said.

There were seven inches at the summit of Ajax on Wednesday; about 16 inches are needed to run groomers, and SkiCo does not have snow making capabilities at the top of the mountain. Skiers and riders will have to rely on nature for that.