Colorado's Arapahoe Basin opened for the winter season on Wednesday, Oct. 17, making it the first ski area in the Western U.S. to open. Minnesota's Wild Mountain opened first with a rope tow on Oct. 7. On Tuesday, Oct. 23, Colorado's Loveland Ski Area joined in the opening festivities.

At A-Basin, the resort opened with one lift and six features in the terrain park and an 18-inch base after 12 days of snowmaking. "We've got a gorgeous, sunny day at the Basin this morning, and a couple hundred stoked skiers and riders out getting in some October turns," said A-Basin spokesperson Adrienne Saia Isaac.

In California, Tahoe's Boreal will open on Friday, Oct. 26, and on Thursday, Squaw Valley is opening for a limited one-day fundraiser. Mammoth Mountain will open on Nov. 8.

Killington, Vt., plans to open in early November, followed by Stowe, Vt., on Nov. 7. In Utah, Solitude will open on Nov. 15, followed shortly by Alta, Snowbird, and Park City, which plan to open on Nov. 16 and 17.

Elsewhere in Colorado, other early openers include Wolf Creek and Copper Mountain, which will open Nov. 2, Winter Park on Nov. 14, and Vail on Nov. 16.

"There has been an infectious optimism about the ski season ahead," said Colorado Ski Country USA President and CEO Melanie Mills. "It's official, Colorado is open for ski business."