Rumors Spread That Keystone Is Opening Next Weekend, but Hold Your Horses

The conditions look promising. The track record is there. And, as some avid skiers noticed, tickets are on sale for Saturday, October 24, 2026. Is that opening day for Keystone Resort, Colorado?!

Maybe. Maybe not. We can’t say quite yet.

A representative from Keystone clarified in an email to POWDER that the resort does not have an official opening day aside from its previously shared plan to open “as early as possible” when conditions allow.

“The ability to buy a single-day lift ticket two Saturdays from now doesn’t have any bearing on when the resort will open,” they noted. “If a customer did purchase a lift ticket now and the resort opened earlier, they would have the option of moving up their visitation date or being refunded the full amount.”

Notably, that answer doesn’t preclude an October 24 opening, but it does make it clear that we shouldn’t get too far ahead of our skis. Still, the forecast does look encouraging over the coming days.

Colder temperatures and mixed precipitation depending on elevation are expected at Keystone through Thursday, with a winter weather advisory in effect Wednesday and Wednesday night, according to the NWS.

The advisory calls for 6 to 12 inches in the mountains of Summit County, and even as the sky clears over the weekend, overnight temperatures could remain chilly enough for snowmaking. Next week could also bring another storm system to the Intermountain West, meteorologist Chris Tomer noted in his latest forecast.

Keystone sneaking in an opening before the end of October also wouldn’t be far-fetched if the weather cooperates. Last winter, in a lighthearted upset, the resort held an afternoon opening on October 25, spinning its lifts just before another Colorado frontrunner, Arapahoe Basin, which was set to start the season the following morning.

Both resorts are among those to watch as the 2026-27 season approaches. In Colorado, along with Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, there are others known for getting an early start, including Wolf Creek, Loveland, and Winter Park.

Rather than jinxing it, we’ll say this: winter’s coming soon. When, exactly, that happens will ultimately be determined by Mother Nature. But resorts like Keystone are doing everything they can to play ball.

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