Unofficial Start To Summer? These 10 Ski Resorts Are Still Open
The skiing community's divided. It's that time of the season when some of us are hanging up the skis to pursue different outdoor endeavors, like hiking or surfing, whereas others are still squeezing every last drop out of this historic winter.
If you fall into the latter camp, you've come to the right place. Here are ten ski resorts still offering lift-accessed springtime turns.
1. Palisades Tahoe, California
Current base area snow depth: 10 in
Current summit area snow depth: 167 in
Total season snowfall: 723 in
Projected closing date: July 4th
Inside scoop: Palisades Tahoe, which underwent a name change in 2021, is steeped in freeskiing history. The resort features prominently in the classic ski movie G.N.A.R.
2. Mammoth Mountain, California
Current base area snow depth: 142 in
Current summit area snow depth: 195 in
Total season snowfall: 715 in
Projected closing date: End of July, weather and conditions permitting
Inside scoop: Mammoth Mountain is a terrain park skiing mecca. It's home to a bevy of terrain park options, from halfpipes to rails, providing choices for every level of freestyler.
3. Timberline Lodge, Oregon
Current base area snow depth: 89 in
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 695 in
Projected closing date: Beginning of September, weather and conditions permitting
Inside scoop: Timberline's base area features the titular Timberline Lodge, which is more than a cozy spot to shack up for a week of skiing; it's also a movie star. The lodge appeared in the horror film "The Shining" during exterior shots of the fictional "Overlook Hotel."
4. Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
Current base area snow depth: 49 in
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 258.5 in
Projected closing date: June 4th
Inside scoop: Arapahoe Basin, or A-Basin as the locals call it, has its own declaration of independence, written after the resort was sold in the 1990s by Vail to DREAM, a Canadian asset-managing company. Here's a blurb from the declaration: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all ski areas are created common and equal, except, of course, Arapahoe Basin – 'cause we have the Pali Chair!"
5. Killington, Vermont
Current base area snow depth: 14 in
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 197 in
Projected closing date: As late as possible, weather and conditions permitting. Killington typically closes sometime between late May and early June.
Inside scoop: Between extensive snowmaking and committed management, Killington typically offers the longest lift-accessed ski season in the East. Unlike many resorts in the West, the resort keeps spinning the bull wheels as long as there's still snow on the ground.
6. Snowbird, Utah
Current base area snow depth: 88 in
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 838 in
Projected closing date: July 4th weekend, weather and conditions permitting
Inside scoop: Snowbird had a historic season for snowfall this winter. The resort saw 838 inches of snow in 2022 and 2023, smashing the previous record of 783 inches.
7. Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort, California
Current base area snow depth: N/A
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 757 in
Projected closing date: Reopening on May 27th and 28th for a final weekend of skiing
Inside scoop: Despite being a lesser-known, smaller Californian resort, Dodge Ridge sees considerable snowfall. This season an impressive 757 inches of snow fell at the resort. Not bad.
8. Winter Park, Colorado
Current base area snow depth: 42 in
Current mid-mountain snow depth: 42 in
Total season snowfall: 397 in
Projected closing date: May 29th
Inside scoop: Thanks to its expansive snowmaking operations, Winter Park gets its season started early. The resort always opens in November before Thanksgiving.
9. Mt. Bachelor, Oregon
Current base area snow depth: 56 in
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 467 in
Projected closing date: May 28th
Inside scoop: With 4,300 acres of skiable terrain, Mt. Bachelor is the sixth-largest ski resort in North America. The more lowkey resort stands near industry titans like Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, and Big Sky, Montana, in total acreage.
10. Arizona Snowbowl, Arizona
Current base area snow depth: 63 in
Current summit area snow depth: N/A
Total season snowfall: 399 in
Projected closing date: May 29th
Inside scoop: While this might not be a selling point, Arizona Snowbowl was the first ski resort in history to charge more than $300 for a lift ticket; this was caused by the intermingling of high demand on a specific weekend and the now-popular surge-pricing model many resorts use. For the record, tickets are now running a shockingly reasonable average of $25 during the final days of the year.
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