Ski areas in Colorado have started to close for the season after the record-breaking warm winter left many mountains with muddy trails and little natural snow.
Colorado ski resorts typically close between early to mid-April, but sometimes they stay open later till early May. This year, ski resorts closed late-March to mid- April due to the warm weather and less snow. Although the mountains saw a little more snow than Denver and places with elevation, it still wasn’t enough snow for a full ski season in the mountains.

Colorado State University’s Colorado Climate Center states that the amount of water stored in the snow is the lowest at this point in the winter since at least 1987, marking this year as one of the least snowy winters in over 30 years. According to the Apple Weather app, there is a “Red Flag Warning” which means there is gusty winds and low humidity so fires are more likely to occur. The water we get from our snow feeds into the reservoirs and gets stored until that water is needed. Since we haven’t gotten much snow, we have less water for spring and summer.

“I go skiing with my family every year, and this year was by far the worst skiing I have ever seen. We went up during Spring break, and the snow was practically slush when usually we go up during Spring Break and it is fresh powder,” Melanie Taylor ‘29 said.
Some resorts didn’t open at all, due to the weather. These include: Cranor Ski area, Lee’s Ski Hill, Ski Hesperus, and Lake City.

Here is a list of the ski resorts that have an official closing date in Colorado:
Kendall Mountain: Closed February 28
Chapman Ski Hill: Closed March 11
Cuchara Mountain Park: Closed March 15
Ski Cooper: Closed on March 22
Howelson Hill: Closed March 22
Powderhorn: Closed March 22 (possible reopening March 28-29, weather permitting)
Sunlight Mountain Resort: Closed on March 22
Purgatory: March 29
Telluride: April 5
Steamboat: April 12
Aspen Snowmass: April 19
Eldora: April 19
Winter Park: April 19
Keystone: April 12

“My family usually pays for a season pass at Keystone, but we didn’t get to use it at all this year because the weather was bad and it was very muddy,” Claira Watson ‘28 said.

These early closures have affected many students who ski because many families but the season-long pass and they aren’t getting their money’s worth because the season is shorter. These season-long ski passes can range from 600- 3,000 dollars depending on which resort students go to. About 13.8 million skier visits in the 2024-25 season and in the 2023- 24 season, there were 14 million visits in Colorado ski resorts.

“I went skiing last year, and there was much better snow. This year, my family went up to the mountains but the snow was so bad. Some of the resorts we usually go to were already closed,” Micah Nagao ‘28 said.