Colorado & Tirol Dominate Early Season Open Resorts
Two of the world’s great ski regions always do battle in the autumn/fall lover who has the most ski areas open. On a table of nations of open areas it currently looks like this (including weekend only areas).
- USA: 11
- Austria: 9
- Switzerland: 8
- Colorado: 7
- Tirol: 6
- Canada: 5
- Italy: 3
- Norway: 3
- Finland: 2
- Sweden: 2
- Japan: 1
- France: 0
Austria’s famous ski province of Tirol region with its five glacier ski areas always leads the way and often in September and October when little else is open in the northern hemisphere, represents at least half of all ski areas open north of the equator.
It is now up to 6 areas open out of the 9 in Austria, 13 in the Alps and 20 in Europe that are open already, thanks to Kitzbuhel using snowfarming to open its highest slopes, a seventh centre, Obergurgl, will open this coming weekend as it also host the opening Men’s World cup slalom races of 23-24. The Hintertux glacier is pictured top, Breckenridge opening day above..
But it has been overtaken by the famous US ski state of Colorado, with seven centres opening here over the past two weeks, including the first for 23-24, Arapahoe Basin on Halloween, and more recently big names like Breckenridge, Winter Park and Vail. Copper and Wolf Creek will take the Colorado total, which, like Tirol for Austria, is currently home to around 70% of all that’s open in the US.
With the number of ski areas open for the 23-24 season open so far fast approaching 50, about a third of these are in either Colorado or Tirol.
The Hintertux glacier is pictured top, Breckenridge opening day above..
