SAM Magazine—Keystone, Colo., Oct 27, 2025—On Saturday morning, Arapahoe Basin announced it would open for the season Sunday at 8:30 a.m. MDT, positioning itself to be the first ski area in the U.S. to open for daily operations. But a few hours later, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Keystone Resort jumped ahead, alerting the public that it would open in just 90 minutes. The move put Keystone first to spin lifts for the 2025-26 winter season.

It's a familiar gambit in the race to open between the Summit County neighbors. Back in 2019, Keystone announced a Saturday, Oct. 12, opening day on Friday, Oct. 11, only to be outpaced when A-Basin pulled off a surprise start, loading lifts at 3.30 p.m. Friday afternoon.

This year, Keystone’s opening included skiing and riding on one trail and a hike-to terrain park accessed by the River Run Gondola and Montezuma Express lifts. Downloading was required. The event included a DJ spinning tunes and $5.50 beers to celebrate the start of Keystone’s 55th winter season. 

"We're thrilled to kick off the season here at Keystone with over two miles of skiing and riding,” said resort vice president and general manager Shannon Buhler. "We know how much this moment means to our employees and community, and our team has poured their hearts into creating an incredible early opening celebration. We’re just excited to be back on snow!”  

A-Basin opened Sunday with the Black Mountain Express serving one trail down to the base area. There was live music at the lift line in the morning and a DJ in the base area during the afternoon. 

Both ski areas plan to expand open terrain as quickly as possible. Cold temps forecast at elevation this week, with overnight lows in the single digits, should help with that effort.