November has yet to arrive, but below-freezing temperatures have allowed resorts in the area to fire up their snow guns.
“We woke up to about two degrees below zero this morning and no wind associated with that, which is important too,” said Troy Hawk, marketing director at Sunlight Mountain Resort in Glenwood Springs. “When you make snow, you don’t want it to all blow off and into the trees.”
Sunlight received six inches from Tuesday’s storm, and they are adding to that total with 24-36 hours of planned snowmaking.
Hawk says this year’s early snows are an added bonus after last winter’s conditions.
“And to back that up with yet another strong start to the season is kind of like a double stoke, if you will,” Hawk said.
Thanks to those conditions, Sunlight is considering an early opening. That would allow for skiing and snowboarding starting on Thanksgiving, and then every weekend until their originally scheduled opening day of December 13.
Up valley, Aspen-Snowmass has seen 25 inches of fresh snow over the course of the last week. Snowmaking has begun on Aspen Mountain and the race training venue at Aspen Highlands.
