The announcement came late on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, but that didn’t stop hundreds of skiers and snowboarders from showing up for Arapahoe Basin Ski Area’s opening day.

A-Basin’s opening was small, with just the Black Mountain Express and High Noon run open, but that’s typical for skiing before Halloween, especially after the warm spell that settled in a couple of weeks ago.

The ski area initially announced it would open at 11 a.m., but according to a statement from an A-Basin representative, the staff was getting antsy, and the first chair was loaded at 10:15 a.m. The stoke was high.

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“The chair started spinning earlier than expected around 10:15 AM,” wrote A-Basin Senior Communications Manager Shayna Silverman. “(We got impatient and just wanted to go skiing already!) The energy is high, and the people made it happen. Our staff worked super hard, our skiers and riders took the day off, and we’re on our way to celebrating 80 years.”

Check out a video of the first chair being loaded at Arapahoe Basin on October 28, 2026. These folks are officially the first skiers and snowboarders to take a chairlift-served lap in North America for the winter 26/27 season!

Watch: First Chair at Arapahoe Basin, October 28, 2026

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Arapahoe Basin First Chair, October 28, 2026 (0:31)

Nothing gets the ski season stoke juices flowing like an October opening day in Colorado!

Check out a gallery of some of the best shots captured during Arapahoe Basin’s opening day below. All photos were captured by Riley Kisser, courtesy of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area.

Arapahoe Basin Opening Day 2026 Gallery

View the 6 images of this gallery on the original article

Arapahoe Basin will be the only ski area open in North America today, October 29, but its neighbor, Keystone Resort, plans to open tomorrow (October 30), per a recent social media post.

Keystone representatives congratulated Arapahoe Basin on besting them this year, giving a nod to how last season’s race to open shook out, and broke down what they intend to have open on Friday:

• “Laps off Montezuma Express with uploading and downloading via River Run Gondola.”
• “2+ MILES of skiing & riding on the ‘Marm and Silver Spoon & hike-to TERRAIN PARK at the top of Scout.”
• “FREE donuts & coffee, specials at Summit House (footlong hot dog, anyone?), and live DJ dancing to keep the good vibes going.”

Happy winter 26/27, friends. It’s officially underway, and we couldn’t be more excited! Stick with us here at POWDER for more opening day announcements, feature stories, winter storm forecasts, gear reviews, print content, and more!

Related: The Story Behind POWDER Magazine’s 2026/27 Cover