And the Winner Is...Wolf Creek Will Start the Colorado Ski Season Today

The family-owned ski area in southwestern Colorado opened 85 years ago.

October 22, 2024

Wolf Creek Ski Area sill start its 85th season on October 22. Wolf Creek

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We have a winner!

Every year, a few Colorado ski areas fight to be the first to open, a contest that's usually won by Arapahoe Basin or Keystone as snowmaking starts at the sign of the first flake.

This year, Keystone was in the lead, with a revised target of October 25. But thanks to 21 inches of snow that fell this past weekend in southwestern Colorado, Wolf Creek Ski Area will start its 85th ski season today, October 22. It's not just the first ski area to open in Colorado, but in the country.

The locally-owned resort just over Wolf Creek Pass near Pagosa Springs will mark its 85th opening day with Local Appreciation rate lift tickets: $68 for adults, $49 for seniors and $34 for children. The Treasure Stoke, Bonanza and Nova lifts will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., giving access to roughly 30 percent of the terrain.

According to the October 21 snow report, Wolf Creek has gotten 26 inches of snow to date, and the depth midway up the mountain is 18 inches. After opening day, the mountain will be open seven days a week until all that snow melts away.

Ironically, Wolf Creek didn't open until November 11 last year.

Find the full ski report at wolfcreekski.com.

Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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