Ski Season Is Officially Here: 4 Resorts Already Open for Halloween Turns

After an exciting kick-off, the 2025-26 ski season is officially underway. Three ski resorts (plus one indoor ski area) will be open this weekend, most of which are in Colorado. 

This is where you can score some Halloweekend turns.

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Arapahoe Basin, Colorado

Often in contention for the first chair of the season, Arapahoe Basin opened just behind Keystone this year on Sunday, October 26. The ski resort’s early season offering revolves around the Black Mountain Express. From atop the lift, skiers can venture down High Noon, an intermediate trail that finishes in the base area. 

What’s next for Arapahoe Basin? Opening the Lenawee Express, a chairlift that climbs above the Black Mountain Express, according to Arapahoe’s president, Al Henceroth. “The next big push is to get Lenawee Express open. And that is a big push,” he wrote in a recent blog post.

Keystone Resort, Colorado

In a surprise upset, Keystone Resort snuck ahead of Arapahoe Basin this season when it opened Saturday afternoon. The mountain kicked off the festivities with more than two miles of skiing on the Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon trails serviced by the mid-mountain Montezuma Express. 

At the end of the day, skiers could download back to the base area on the River Run Gondola—Keystone’s working on opening more terrain so that you can slide all the way to the bottom without downloading, though.

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Winter Park, Colorado

Winter Park is scheduled to start the season at 1 p.m. on Halloween or Friday, October 31. The ski resort broke the news in a short social media post, writing, “Halloween isn’t the only treat this week! Fresh snow and early turns await!” According to Winter Park’s website, it’ll stay open until 4 p.m. on Friday. 

Stay tuned to Winter Park’s Instagram page for more details. 

Big SNOW American Dream

We’ll be frank: the indoors and skiing are an odd pairing. Getting outside, typically, is half the fun of skiing. But when you’re stuck in Manhattan and want to go skiing after work, it’s good to know that you have an option, thanks to Big Snow American Dream, the only indoor ski area in the U.S.

Located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Big SNOW relies on a giant fridge-like structure to offer turns year-round. On a technicality, that could make it the first (and last?) ski resort open in North America each season. Inside the fridge, you’ll find four lifts (including a quad chairlift), four acres of terrain, and one of the more unique skiing experiences on the continent. 

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