Keystone Ski Resort will open Friday, Oct. 28, with a host of activities and fanfare to kick off the winter season.

The ski resort will open with nearly 2 miles of terrain on the Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon trails. Additionally, skiers and riders will have access to a hike-to terrain park on Spring Dipper.

“We really want to be able to offer an opening day experience for all levels,” Keystone Resort Communications Director Max Winter said during an interview earlier in the week, before the resort’s opening day announcement. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re so committed to making sure we have something that is wide and long and accessible for beginners.”

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In celebration of opening day, guests who arrive early will be treated with free donuts, hot cocoa and first-chair prizes from Helly Hansen. A mountaintop DJ experience will keep the party going throughout the day. On Saturday, Oct. 29, Keystone will host a Halloween celebration with a Halloween hunt, trick-or-treating and a costume contest

Early season terrain can be accessed via the River Run Gondola, with skiing and riding off the Montezuma Express lift. Keystone will continue to make snow as the weather allows and expand terrain offerings.

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Cold temperatures and some additional accumulation is in the forecast this week, according to Chad Gimmestad, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Boulder Office. He said anywhere from 3-6 inches could fall higher in the mountains Wednesday evening, while Thursday may bring some flurries but little to no accumulation. As the weekend progresses, Gimmestad reported that higher temperatures will most likely melt snow at lower elevations but not the accumulation on the mountains.

It’s a forecast that bodes well for Keystone.

“Right now, we’ve been really happy with the past couple of days and looking into the rest of the week,” Winter said. “Really good cold weather temperatures — that’s what has us really excited.” 

Winter explained that consistently cold temperatures are even more important than natural snowfall for the resort right now as they try to build up their base snow levels on the mountain.

“I will say, we love natural snow because it gets skiers and snowboarders really hyped — including us,” Winter said. “But right now, what’s really essential for us is the snowmaking and the cold temperatures.” 

Keystone aims to open the Mountain House base area in mid-November.

As temperatures drop and snow predictions become more frequent, both Breckenridge Ski Resort and Copper Mountain Ski Resort have announced their opening days. Breckenridge will open on Nov. 11 and Copper on Nov. 14. 

Starting Friday, the resort will be open daily and operations will last from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Night skiing on weekends and holidays, which lasts until 8 p.m., will start on Thanksgiving Day. 

To purchase a lift ticket in advance visit, KeystoneResort.com.