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Image provided courtesy of Jack Affleck and Vail Resorts.
Image provided courtesy of Jack Affleck and Vail Resorts.

With warming temperatures and longer days, summer is not to far off. After a long and coldish winter, most of Colorado is ready for spring when it does decide to show up. However, it is always a little bittersweet to hang up your skis or snowboard for the year. With that said spring skiing can be a great time! Something about making turns with a few buddies in just a t-shirt and a pair of shorts is just awesome!

If you’re like myself and have trouble putting your skis away here are a few tips to make the most of spring skiing. Colorado is home to MANY ski resorts and some definitely hold onto more and better quality snow than others later into the year. Things to look for are resorts that have most of their terrain that is North facing as their snowpacks are not as impacted by the sun. Another factor is resorts that sit at higher elevations, the cooler temperatures help to preserve the snow. The last big factor is resorts that sit at more northern latitudes as they tend to be cooler and the sun is less harmful to the snowpack. These resorts tend to have much better quality snow as it stays cold and fluffy and does not turn into something resembling “mashed potatoes” as the day goes on and temperatures rise.  Even with spring getting closer March is usually one of the snowiest months here in Colorado and can provide some of the best skiing of the year.

download (2)A few of the resorts that hold better snow in Colorado later into the year include Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, and Arapahoe Basin.  Beaver Creek is probably one of the most luxurious resorts here in Colorado but it also has some GREAT tree skiing. With a summit reaching 11,440 feet and about 55% of its terrain facing North it definitely hangs onto snow. Copper Mountain located in Summit County tends to have a little lower snow totals overall but with a a base sitting at 9,712 feet and a summit topping out at 12,313 feet the high elevation definitely helps out. One resort always tends to have the longest season sometimes going well into June, this resort is Arapahoe Basin or A-Basin as the locals call it.  The resort’s base sits at 10,780 feet with a peak at 12,472 feet. It gets incredible amounts of snow as the season goes on and has the perfect elevation and North facing aspect to keep your turns going.  If you need to give your legs a break the parking lot at A-Basin referred to as “The Beach” is a great place to grill out and hang with friends as well!

Below is a list of a few of the anticipated closing dates for a few of the resorts in CO.  When you’re ready to get to the mountains for some awesome spring skiing be sure to give us a call at Peak 1 express to get you to the resorts in Summit County and Vail Valley!

Ski Resort – Anticipated Closing Dates 2017

Arapahoe Basin – Early June
Keystone Resort – April 9
Breckenridge Resort – April 23
Copper Mountain – April 9
Vail – April 23
Beaver Creek – April 16