SAM Magazine—Lake Louise, Alberta, Nov. 2, 2026—Lake Louise Ski Resort kicked off the 2026-27 Canadian ski season Sunday, Nov. 1, opening five days ahead of schedule thanks to favorable snowmaking conditions and early-season snowfall. It was the resort’s second-earliest opening on record and its earliest in five years.
“A helping hand from Mother Nature, cold October temperatures and around-the-clock work by our snowmaking and mountain crews have made an early return to snow possible,” the resort said in an opening announcement on its website.
The resort opened with the Juniper Express chairlift serving the Easy Street trail, along with two small terrain parks with jumps and rails. The beginner area and snow school also opened. Lift operations are scheduled daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with additional terrain opening as conditions permit.
South of the border, Colorado’s ski season got underway Oct. 28 when Arapahoe Basin became the first ski area in North America to open for the winter, with the Black Mountain Express lift serving the High Noon trail.
Keystone Resort followed Oct. 30, opening more than two miles of groomed terrain on Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon, accessed via the River Run Gondola and Montezuma Express chairlift. A hike-to terrain park is also available.
Wolf Creek Ski Area opened Oct. 31 following a storm that deposited roughly 20 inches of snow earlier in the week. However, the ski area suspended operations shortly afterward as flooding from a storm the next day prompted a regional evacuation order.
Higher elevations in the West have gotten some recent shots of snow. For example, Snowbird in Utah reported 17 inches of snow this morning; Mammoth Mountain, Calif., reported 9-15 inches; and several other ski areas across the West have posted visuals of measurable snow on their social media feeds.
In the East, Killington Resort, Vt., Sunday River, Maine, and Bretton Woods, N.H., have begun early-season snowmaking efforts, taking advantage of limited cold-weather windows. Sunday River had nearly 200 guns running on Oct. 27 during its second snowmaking push of the month. Killington fired up approximately 135 snow guns in its North Ridge area Oct. 31, while Bretton Woods began building a base on Outer Bounds and Rangeview before shutting down snowmaking as temperatures rose.
Temperatures are forecast to continue rising in the near-term across much of New England through midweek, with highs reaching the 60s and rain possible later in the week. The warming trend will likely limit additional snowmaking opportunities and complicate efforts to preserve existing coverage, although long-term forecasts show cooler weather arriving during the second week of November. Several ski areas have set tentative opening dates prior to Thanksgiving, which could still be achievable if an extended stretch of snowmaking conditions arrives by the middle of the month.
