The countdown to winter has officially begun. While the majority are still clinging to summer, snowboarders are already eyeing the calendar, watching the weather, tuning boards, and plotting that first lap. Opening day isn’t just about riding, it’s a ritual that marks the start of the season for our favorite sport.
From maintaining a first chair winning-streak in Colorado, to the organized New England mayhem at Killington, every mountain has its own personality when the chairs start spinning. But beyond the riding, it’s the traditions, culture, and community that make opening day special.
Below is your quick guide to the 2025/26 opening dates across the U.S., plus some of the unique rituals that give certain mountains legendary status for more than their terrain.
Colorado: Where the Season Usually Starts
High elevation and aggressive snowmaking put Colorado at the front of the pack most years.
Planned Opening Dates (2025/26):
Arapahoe Basin: November 2, 2025
Breckenridge: November 7, 2025
Copper Mountain: November 7, 2025
Eldora: November 14, 2025
Vail: November 14, 2025
Powderhorn: November 21, 2025
Purgatory: November 22, 2025
Steamboat: November 22, 2025
Beaver Creek: November 26, 2025
Crested Butte: November 26, 2025
Granby Ranch: November 26, 2025
Aspen Snowmass: November 27, 2025
Telluride: November 27, 2025
Loveland: TBD
TBD / Weather-Dependent (historically very early):
Keystone: late October–early November
Winter Park: late October
Wolf Creek: often among the first
A-Basin’s Mug Club: A First-Day Classic
At Arapahoe Basin’s 6th Alley Bar & Grill, there are exactly 473 hooks above the bar, so there are 473 Mug Club spots. It’s not just a beer mug, it’s a badge of belonging.
Riders line up in the dark to keep their same mug number. I’ve seen people there at 4:30 a.m.
Mugs are $50 and get you $1 off drinks all season, but the real value is the getting back together with the gang.
Designs change yearly: the 75th season got a special graphic; the Beavers/Steep Gullies expansion was celebrated; in 2020–21 the logo wore a surgical mask.
Existing members can renew online starting October 1, so they don’t have to gamble on opening-day inventory. Last year, about half sold via renewals; the rest were gone by 11:00 a.m.
The 6th Alley vibe is pure “Cheers”. A place where “everybody knows your name.”
California: Patience Pays
Storm timing rules California’s early season, but when it hits, it hits.
Utah: Fast Start, Famous Snow
Elevation and cold snaps let Utah flip the switch quickly.
Brian Head: November 8, 2025
Brighton: November 14, 2025
Park City: November 22, 2025
Powder Mountain: December 05, 2025
Snow Basin: November 28, 2025
Solitude: November 14, 2025
Sundance: December 03, 2025
Snowbird: TBD
Vermont & New England: The Beast Wakes Up
Killington: November 14, 2025 (pass holders) • November 15, 2025 (public)
Opening-day lunch free for pass holders at K-1 Lodge, Peak Lodge, or the Subie Shack.
The resort donates $5,000 to the Share Winter Foundation on opening day.
Sunday River: November 14, 2025 (pass holders) • November 15, 2025 (public)
160 new high-efficiency HKD guns this summer. 550+ added in the last three years.
On Halloween, they’ve even pulled off outdoor, chairlift-served laps, just to prove a point.
Sugarloaf: November 22, 2025
Waterville Valley: November 29, 2025
Wildcat: December 03, 2025
Stowe: December 03, 2025
Attitash: December 05, 2025
Cranmore: December 05, 2025
Loon: December 05, 2025
Mount Snow: December 05, 2025
Okemo: December 05, 2025
Stratton: December 05, 2025
Wachusett: December 05, 2025
Other Western Contenders
Idaho: Sun Valley (Nov 25, 2025)
Wyoming: Jackson Hole (Nov 28, 2025)
Washington: Stevens Pass (Dec 6, 2025) • Mt. Baker (TBD)
The Traditions That Matter
Opening day is more than fresh stickers and first-run legs. The energy is super contagious with high-fives in the lift lines, beers and swag at the base, DJs spinning while everyone remembers why they love sliding sideways. The stoke goes through the roof and people take opening day seriously, but not themselves.
Snow Rituals & Mountain Lore
Members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe have performed a snow ritual at the base of Vail Mountain four times since 1962. During Snow Daze 2006, Eddie Box, Jr. and family led the ceremony; December 2006 set a then-record 96 inches.
Ullr worship is everywhere—traditionally shown on skis (we’ll allow it). The “ask” is simple: burn an old piece of gear, raise a toast, and hope the storm track notices.
Believe, don’t believe, either way, everyone’s got a superstition.
What to Expect This Season
Plan early to save money and score better lodging. Opening day terrain is usually limited and skews intermediate to advanced. The “White Ribbon of Death” isn’t for beginners.
Opening day isn’t really about mileage. It’s about the stoke, bonding with fellow snowboarders, and planting a flag in the ground nothing that winter is back.
The Last Word
Opening day marks the return of the winter crew you logged so many days with in the past. Whether you’re camping out for a mug at A-Basin, listening to music while grabbing a donut at Solitude, or lapping your home hill with friends, the traditions connect us to something bigger than ourselves.
The lifts will spin. The snow will fall. And we’ll remember why we spend the off-season dreaming about this moment.
Winter’s coming, and lets all pray, in our own ways, that it’s going to be epic.
