Western Ski Areas Start Opening Friday

The lifts are starting to run in the western USA. 

Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort’s 72nd season of skiing and boarding will kick-off this coming Friday - Sunday, November 11 - 13, following this week’s multi-day series of winter weather that delivered 50 inches of new snowfall over the past 3 days. 

Chairlifts 3, 5 and the Magic Carpet for lessons will be turning for the opening weekend along with the brand New Triple Nugget Chairlift 1, which was just installed this summer. The resort will also work to open up their Prospector Chairlift 7 for the weekend operations if at all possible. Beginner to advanced terrain will be available with 40%+ of mountain terrain accessible and Dodge Ridge will look to announce the opening of additional chairlifts going forward. The Central Sierra resort will work to continue with weekend operations during this early season as long as temperatures remain cold and snow conditions remain consistent. They'll make an evaluation following this opening weekend with a plan for successive weekends of skiing and boarding if possible.

It’ll be a celebration of winter with their annual competition to see who can get first chair on Opening Day this Friday, with prizes for the first 3 skiers or boarders to load Motherlode Chairlift 3 at 9am. The resort will also have a grand opening for their New Triple Nugget Chairlift 1 at 8:30am on Friday, with a hot cocoa toast and dedication to commemorate the moment in the resort’s history.

For the Opening Weekend, lift ticket prices will be reduced to only $89 for adults and teens, $69 for seniors and just $32 for youth. On Friday, Nov 11, which also lands on Veteran’s Day, the resort will have free lift tickets for all active military and veterans who provide military ID at the ticket window.

For the opening weekend operations, the full list of services will be available, including ski and snowboard rentals, along with private lessons for those looking to take a refresher course. The resort’s sport and tech shop will also be open to help guests get geared up for winter and to get their holiday shopping done early, and the tech shop will be available for guests to get their equipment waxed and tuned up. Their Creekside Cafe and Boulder Bar will also be available with a full menu of food and beverage options.

Early season conditions do exist with groomed and ungroomed conditions and marked and unmarked obstacles present.

The resort will also be putting on their 1st annual Pow-A-Bunga Winter Kick-Off party in downtown Sonora Friday evening, taking over the Armory Restaurant from 7 to Midnight. All ages are welcome with free entry to the event with DJ, dancing, giveaways, drink specials for those wearing goggles or beanie along with lift ticket giveaways during their retro 80’s ski wear costume competition.

Following the start of Vail Resorts’ winter operations at Keystone last month and Breckenridge Ski Resort this week, Vail Mountain will welcome skiers and snowboarders back to the slopes on Friday, Nov. 11, for its 60th Anniversary Season. Vail Mountain was built on the pioneering spirit embodied by its founders, veterans of the storied 10thMountain Division – making this Opening Day on Veteran’s Day even more special. There’s a feeling skiers and snowboarders only get by visiting Vail’s Seven Legendary Back Bowls, and the resort will be celebrating 60 years of that classic energy and excitement, all season long.

Brighton Resort will open the 2022-23 ski season on Friday. the resort has received roughly 60 inches on snow since Oct. 22.

“Early season snowfall and low temps allowed us to set up the mountain pretty early in the season this year,” said Jared Winkler, director of marketing for Brighton Resort in a news release. “We estimate that between 50 and 200 snowboarders and skiers have been coming up here every day since the first big storm of the season a few weeks ago.”

Once open, the lifts at Brighton will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is expected that Crest Express will open in the near future, according to the news release.

Adult lift tickets can be purchased for $80 and groom tickets being available for $55.

In all honor of Veterans Day, the resort is offering free skiing or riding to all military members and veterans on Friday.