Arapahoe Basin set to open for the 2022 season on Sunday

DENVER — Ski season is about here, Colorado! Arapahoe Basin is opening on Sunday — the first Colorado ski area to announce its opening day for the 2022-23 season.

A-Basin officials said Thursday they had nearly enough snow on the High Noon run to open soon and that a snowcat had been moving snow around on the run, even though it’s likely that will be the only run open on Sunday.

But snow is moving in for Sunday as well, and the mountains are expected to get 4-10 inches throughout the day and into Monday morning, adding a nice layer to the manmade snow.

Opening Day at A-Basin isn’t recommended for beginners because of the snow conditions and single run.

Those who arrive early can line up for a chance to join the Mug Club for discounted drinks through the season. The 6^th Alley Bar & Grill opens at 8 a.m. and the Legends Café at the base opens at 7:15 a.m.

The lift will start running at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and run until 4 p.m. The mid-mountain Black Mountain Lodge opens at 10:30 a.m.

People can click here to buy lift tickets online. They are not sold on-site.

A-Basin opened Oct. 17 last season and was the second ski area open in Colorado behind Wolf Creek.

Keystone said Friday it still needs to take some more time making snow but that crews were "making really great progress," while Loveland said it was not going to be ready to open this weekend. Copper Mountain is set to open Nov. 14. We’ll be providing everyone with updates on opening days as we learn more!

Until then – enjoy the White Ribbon Of … “Joy” – as A-Basin folks called it on their website Friday, even though some of us might know it by a different name!

KOAA News5 Bill Folsom checked out a local ski shop to see how they are preparing for these opening weekends.