What to Do on Colorado's Ski Slopes in November 2015

It's here. The winter snow sports season has arrived, and although the resorts are just beginning to open, you will want to be prepared once they do. Read about every one of them in the Edge, our winter sports guide. Find the Edge in print this week inside of Westword — or follow along as we roll out the guide online. Each description lays out what's new, what the signature experience is at each resort, what to splurge on, how to go cheap and, of course, what to drink. In the meantime, here is what's coming in November.

November 6: Opening Day, Keystone (keystoneresort.com).

November 7: Opening Day, Wolf Creek (wolfcreekski.com).

November 11: Opening Day, Copper Mountain (coppercolorado.com).

November 13: Opening Day, Breckenridge (breckenridge.com).

November 14: Christy Sports Demo Day, Loveland. Christy Sports visits Loveland for an early-season demo so you can try all of this year’s latest and greatest skis and snowboards before you buy. Packages including lift ticket, lunch, raffle, and unlimited demos are available by registering at any Christy Sports location. Ski brands attending include Volkl, Dynastar, K2, Rossignol and Salomon. Snowboard brands attending include Burton, Ride, K2, Never Summer and Lib Tech. Don’t forget to test your skills on the Homerun Challenge Racecourse. All runs will be timed for this no-cost race. Afterward, skiers and riders can converge in the Rathskeller for après drinks and a great raffle (skiloveland.com).

November 14-15: Never Summer Demo Days & Homerun Challenge. To kick off the Homerun Challenge race season at Loveland, Never Summer visits to host its twentieth annual demo day. Challenge other riders to a timed race on the Homerun course while you check out Never Summer’s newest inventory of boards and gear for the 2015-16 season from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Last board out and timed race run at 2:30 p.m. There is no additional cost to participate in the demo or race. A driver’s license, credit card and valid lift ticket are required to demo, as is a signed waiver to race (skiloveland.com).

November 14: Opening Day for Crested Butte Nordic Center. Get out and enjoy the freshly groomed trails while you start to build up your skiing legs and endurance for the Citizen’s races later in the season and the Alley Loop, Gothic Mountain Tour, and the granddaddy of them all, the Grand Traverse. You can’t ski every day if you don’t ski Opening Day. For pass options, check out cbnordic.org.

November 18: Opening Day, Winter Park (winterparkresort.com).

November 20: Opening Day, Eldora (eldora.com).

November 20: Opening Day, Vail (vail.com).

November 21: First Tracks: U.S. Alpine Ski Team Naming Ceremony, Copper Mountain. The U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain is the only full-length downhill training venue in the world available early season, and it’s open for training early November. Come cheer on the U.S. Ski Team and kick off the 2015/16 ski season with the largest pep rally on snow as the full team of Olympic hopefuls are introduced to the public.

November 21: 50th Anniversary Opening Day, Purgatory (purgatoryresort.com).

November 21: Wolf Creek Cosmic Mountaineering Race, Wolf Creek (wolfcreekski.com).

November 21-22: Gear up for the 5th Annual Colorado Demo Days by celebrating our state with Colorado homegrown skis, boards, beers and bands. Vendor Village will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Participating brands: Never Summer, Oz Snowboards, Freeride Systems, Woodward Copper, Bomber Industries, RMU/Rocky Mountain Underground, Meier Skis, Weston Snowboards and Candy Grind (coppercolorado.com).

November 24: Southwest Skating Rink at Skyline Park opens as part of the Downtown Denver Partnership’s Winter in the City program. Skyline Park, 16th and Arapahoe streets (southwestrink.com).

November 25: Opening Day & SKI FREE! Crested Butte is offering SKI FREE on Opening Day again this year. Just stop by the main ticket office at the Adventure Center to receive your free ticket and enjoy the early-season slopes! First Chair and Champagne toast at 9 a.m.; wear your best Pirate costume and join the festivities at “CBM-Arrg!” Join us for après at Butte 66 at 3:30 p.m. with live music by Rapidgrass, costume contest prizes for the best-dressed pirate, and drink specials by Montanya Distillers, Bird Dog Whiskey and Bud Light (skicb.com).

November 25: Opening Day/World’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Competition, Beaver Creek (beavercreek.com).

November 25: Scholarship Day, Steamboat. Scholarship Day marks the first day of the season, with revenues from the day’s specially priced ticket benefiting the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Scholarship Fund. Passes not valid, but specially priced tickets are available for purchase from the ticket office (steamboat.com).

November 25: Opening Day, Steamboat (steamboat.com).

November 26: Opening Day, Aspen Mountain (aspensnowmass.com).

November 26: Opening Day, Telluride (tellurideskiresort.com).

November 27: Snowcat Santa & Fireworks, Copper Mountain. Thanksgiving + Snow = Santa’s arrival to Copper Mountain! Join us as we kick off the season with DJ Landry mixing tunes and spreading holiday cheer on Friday, November 27. In anticipation of an exciting December, Santa will arrive in Burning Stones Plaza via a Pisten Bully Snowcat. Following his grand entrance, he will be visiting with all good boys and girls at the annual tree lighting. We will wrap up the festivities with fireworks in Center Village, but don’t you fret: Santa will return for the 12 Days of Copper (coppercolorado.com)!

November 27: 35th annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, Beaver Creek. The 35th annual Tree Lighting Ceremony signifies the kickoff of another great ski season and the beginning of the holiday season at Beaver Creek, starting at 4 p.m today. Featuring a holiday poetry contest, ice skating show, performances by various groups from all over Colorado, the Tree Lighting Ceremony is always a Beaver Creek favorite. Santa himself will drop in for a visit, and the evening closes with a spectacular fireworks display over the Village (beavercreek.com).

November 27: Thanksjibbing, Snowmass. This invite-only rail jam will take place at 2 p.m. in Snowmass Base Village. Come watch skiers and snowboarders throw down for their piece of the cash purse, and check out the post-Thanksgiving action at Base Village (aspensnowmass.com).

November 28: Village Tree Lighting Ceremony, Winter Park. Come join us in The Village at Winter Park Resort from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. for holiday fun with carolers, make-and-take holiday ornaments, a visit from Santa, and the sixth annual lighting of the Village’s beautiful holiday tree (winterparkresort.com)!

November 28: GoPro Yam Jam, Copper Mountain. Annual Thanksjibbing rail contest, open to all (coppercolorado.com).

November 28: Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert: Jamestown Revival, Aspen Mountain. The much-anticipated FREE Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series returns this year, beginning Thanksgiving weekend and continuing through the end of March (aspensnowmass.com).

November 28-29: Audi FIS Ski World Cup Nature Valley Aspen Winternational. The world’s fastest women skiers, including U.S. Olympic and world champion Mikaela Shiffrin, will once again take on Aspen Mountain’s challenging slopes in the only stop of the women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour in the United States (aspensnowmass.com).