Arapahoe Basin Ski Area opens for it’s first day of skiing and snowboarding of the year on October 17, 2012 (Mahala Gaylord, The Denver Post )
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area kicks off Colorado’s ski season on Sunday, opening the High Noon trail to skiers and riders at 8:30 a.m.
For those heading up for the opening day festivities, temperatures should reach the mid- to upper-40s by midday under mostly sunny skies — warm enough stay cozy in the (one) lift line.
According to the National Weather Service, winds from 11 to 14 mph could bring temperatures down a few degrees to the upper-30s with the wind chill factored in. Only a slight chance of snow is predicted, with a 20 percent chance after noon that will increase to 30 percent by Sunday night. About an inch of snow could fall into Monday morning.
Warm temperatures earlier this week hampered snowmaking efforts, but the arrival of Thursday’s storm system dropped temperatures and fresh snow, allowing the ski area to open four days earlier than last year.
“All the new snow and great snowmaking conditions will make for some very fun skiing and riding. Looking forward to seeing everyone again,” said Alan Henceroth, COO and vice president of the ski area.
Another weather system moving into the mountains on Sunday night probably won’t bring significant snow accumulations, but overnight lows in the teens through next week should continue to help snowmaking efforts.
Henceroth wrote on his blog Saturday that snow guns have started blowing on the Ramrod trail, scheduled to open next.
Loveland Ski Area, which opened Oct. 23 last year, said they hope to open sometime next week.