Skiers at Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colorado, will have to sit tight for their first turns of the season. The resort recently announced that it has been forced to delay its opening, initially scheduled for Friday, November 6. The decision to delay comes as persistently warm overnight temperatures have left the resort without the cold conditions needed for snowmaking, resulting in thinner-than-anticipated early-season snow coverage.
“To give guests the quality experience they expect, Breckenridge will delay Opening Day, previously planned for Friday, November 6, and will open as soon as conditions allow,” Breckenridge senior communications specialist Emily Kowalenko told SnowBrains.
While snowmaking teams have been hard at work preparing the resort, temperatures are just barely too warm to run the guns at full power. Overnights are critical for snowmaking, as they typically bring cold temperatures ideal for snowmaking for several hours. At Breckenridge, however, overnight temperatures have not been cold enough for making the desired amounts of snow.
“Our snowmaking and mountain teams have a start on the terrain we plan to open,” Kowalenko told SnowBrains. “Overnight temperatures, however, have hovered just barely too warm to run snowmaking at full power for sustained periods.”
Breckenridge has not yet shared an updated Opening Day, but plans to do so as soon as possible. “We will share a new date as soon as we have one,” Kowalenko said. Last year, Breckenridge was able to successfully open on its planned opening date, beginning its 2025-26 season on November 7, 2025.
Unfortunately for Breckenridge skiers, the next week of overnight temperatures do not seem to show much promise. According to forecasters at The Weather Channel, overnight temperatures are expected to hover between 30°F and 33°F, even getting up to 50°F during the day next Thursday. While overnight temperatures in the upper 20s and lower 30s seem cold, optimal wet-bulb temperatures for snowmaking fall between 10°F and 20°F, which produce high-volume, dry, powdery snow very efficiently. At minimum, snowmaking guns need temperatures to drop to 27°F.
While this season is certainly getting off to a slow start at Breckenridge, long-range weather forecasters expect the resort to have a solid season. This year’s major theme is a “super El Niño” event, marked by unprecedentedly high water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that will increase moisture around North America. Weather prediction organizations like AccuWeather expect resorts across the central and southern Rockies — including Breckenridge — to benefit from this added moisture, as it will fall as snow once it reaches the high elevation of the mountains.
A delayed opening day at Breckenridge is certainly disappointing news for Summit County skiers, but if forecasters are correct, patience could certainly pay off as the season rolls into December and January. Skiers who absolutely must satisfy their itch this weekend can ski at the nearby Keystone Resort, which is also on the Epic Pass. And while Breckenridge’s Opening Day might not come this week, there is still plenty to be excited about this season.
“Stay tuned for a new date, because we can’t wait to welcome you back to The Kingdom of Breck!” the resort wrote on its Facebook page.
