Vlogger Lucas Catania Reveals Inside Look at Keystone's Early-Season Skiing
Last weekend, Keystone Resort, Colorado, became the first ski resort in North America to officially open for the 2025-26 season.
The Saturday opening had plenty of drama. Hours before Keystone opened its chairlifts, Arapahoe Basin shared that it would open on Sunday, October 26. Then, Keystone pulled a fast one, suddenly launching its first-ever afternoon opening that Saturday, beating Arapahoe Basin to the punch.
The opening included the resort’s Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon trails and lasted until 6 p.m. On Sunday morning, Keystone began regular, full-day operations.
What does early-season skiing actually look like, though? Skier and vlogger Lucas Catania recently stopped by Keystone to find out. Tap or click below to watch.
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As those who participate already know, early-season resort skiing—particularly in October—usually only involves the basics on a narrow selection of trails with manmade snow.
Catania made some laps down the Schoolmarm trail, a beginner cruiser which intersected with Silver Spoon. At the bottom, he hitched a ride on the Montezuma Express lift, later downloading the River Run Gondola to get back to Keystone’s base area.
“First day, you always have to be very defensive,” said Catania in the vlog, offering some solid early-season advice. With everyone enjoying the same trail, things can get a bit crowded.
Arapahoe Basin’s October offering looked similar, with access to the High Noon trail via the Black Mountain Express lift. Neither resort was offering acres and acres of off-piste skiing, which, given the time of year, makes sense—snowmaking can only get you so far.
Katie Young/Keystone Resort
But with their opening days behind them, Arapahoe Basin and Keystone are already looking ahead. Keystone, in a press release, noted that its snowmaking team will continue working around the clock to get more slopes open as soon as possible.
Al Henceroth, President and Chief Operating Officer of Arapahoe Basin, wrote in a recent blog post that opening the Lenawee Express, which climbs above the Black Mountain Express, is “the next big push.”
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