Steamboat’s Thunderhead, Storm Peak Lifts to Open Along With Additional Terrain

A small storm system moved through Steamboat last night and into this morning, dropping two inches at mid-mountain, but it’s the continued overnight low temperatures that allow for ongoing snowmaking and additional terrain openings.

On Friday, Thunderhead Express lift will open with access to upper Vagabond, Betwixt and Eagles Nest. Then on Saturday, Steamboat will offer top-to-bottom skiing and riding when Storm Peak Express starts turning and the following trails open: Buddy’s Run, Storm Peak South, Calf Roper, lower Hurricane, lower Norther, Blizzard, lower Rainbow and middle Burgess Creek Lift Line. A total of 8 lifts, 34 trails and 287 acres will available for skiing and riding this weekend. See Me opened early Thursday, offering an additional trail for night skiing and riding, which begins for the season tonight, Dec. 14, and runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

“The operations team is 100 percent focused on opening snowmaking trails at a record pace. We are taking advantage of every efficiency and opportunity to accelerate opening acreage for our guests,” said Dave Hunter, vice president of mountain operations for Steamboat Ski Resort & Corp. “Traditionally, it takes three days from snowmaking to grooming to open a trail, but we are taking an innovative approach this season that allows us to open a trail just 12 hours after snowmaking is complete.”

With this shift in snowmaking and grooming efforts, the resort opened 18 trails and more than 240 acres in just eight days. Mountain crews are now focusing on Lower Vagabond, Lower Buddy’s Run, Tornado Lane and the Priest Creek area, anticipating openings over the weekend.

As additional terrain opens, so will restaurants across the mountain. Four Points Lodge is open for lunch daily, and the Four Points snowcat dinner opens for the season on Saturday. At Thunderhead Lodge, Hazie’s will begin serving dinner on Saturday and lunch on Monday.

While crews work to open additional terrain, uphill access users are strongly discouraged from recreating on closed trails as snowcats and snowmobiles will be on the mountain day and night. For up-to-date information on Steamboat Ski Resort — including open lifts and terrain, mountain conditions, forecasts, early season ticket prices, events, deals and packages — visit Steamboat.com.