Colorado Skiers Score First Turns of the Season at Silverton Mountain

What did you do yesterday?

In the unlikely event that you answered “skiing,” you’d be in good company with the guide team at Silverton Mountain, Colorado, which, on October 14, 2025, ventured uphill to make some early-season turns on the roughly five inches of snow coverage. 

They skied atop Silverton Mountain’s lone chairlift and the conditions, unsurprisingly given the time of year, were a bit wet and heavy. But the mountain, in a press release, reported that the snowpack was deep enough that skiing only involved “minimal rock dodging.”

Calvin Davenport captured some enticing photos of the action. See below!

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Silverton Mountain’s unique layout and operating model make it an ideal place to score powder in October. The ski area’s base elevation is 10,400 feet, and its chairlift tops out at 12,300 feet. 

While that altitude puts Silverton Mountain in a similar league as say, Arapahoe Basin, there are more differentiators: the ski area doesn’t use snowmaking or grooming. There aren’t any beginner runs. And for much of the season, the mountain is only open to guided groups, blending the experiences of resort and backcountry skiing.

Silverton Mountain also runs a helicopter skiing operation. There are industry standard full day and private trips available, but the ski area also offers single helicopter trips, à la carte style—they cost $199 in addition to the price of a lift ticket.

While the guide team at Silverton Mountain is clearly enjoying the October snow, the official start of the season at the ski area, December 27, 2025, is still months away.

Colorado’s ski season will get underway much sooner, though. 

Arapahoe Basin and Keystone Resort are planning to open as soon as possible, but haven’t announced opening dates yet. More ski resorts, like Vail Mountain and Purgatory Resort, have pegged opening dates in November, weather and conditions permitting. 

Hopefully, by this time next month, the Colorado ski season will be underway. We recommend doing some snow dances—or your preferred pre-season ritual—in the meantime.

Related: Mammoth Is Buried—October Blizzard Dumps 10+ Inches