Every season it's a race to see which ski area will open first. Today we have our answer.

Arapahoe Basin announced on their Facebook page that they had a cold and snowy night last night and their snowmaking system is cranking away. Mother Nature dumped about 4-5 inches of snow last night. Prompting them to say "let's get this party started."

A-Basin will open its 70th season at 9 a.m. Friday morning and skiers and snowboarders will be able to access the intermediate High Noon trail by the Black Mountain Express lift.  Usually, Loveland and Arapahoe Basin compete to be the first ski area open for the new season in North America.  Loveland still has not announced when they will open, but an announcement will likely be made in the next week or two.

You can get your lift tickets at ArapahoeBasin.com or the resort from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It'll cost you $76 for a full-day ticket for adults 19-59 through Dec. 16th.  $64 for youth ages 15-18, and $38 for children 6-14.

The opening is eight days sooner than last year's opening date of October 29th.

 

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