OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz predicts 12-30 inches in the northern and central mountains by Monday morning, with the most intense snowfall coming Saturday night through Sunday night. The southern mountains are likely to receive eight to 16 inches, Gratz wrote in his Friday morning forecast.

“Snowfall rates should be intense, the winds will be gusty, it’ll be wonderful to watch the snow, and driving could be difficult during this time as well,” Gratz wrote. “Sunday could be the deepest day for snowfall, but based on winds and limited terrain, Monday could be the better pick for powder as more terrain opens and the winds slow down.”

Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain and the Aspen resorts received  3-5 inches overnight. Vail Pass temporarily closed Friday morning, and the men’s World Cup downhill race at Beaver Creek was canceled due to weather. Telluride, which last week delayed its opening until Saturday, received eight inches overnight.

“There is not a lot of terrain open across Colorado as our snowpack is about 50-70% of the median for this date,” Gratz wrote. “Based on the latest forecast data, it looks like the next few days will deliver significant snow totals to the northern two-thirds of the state, and I think there will be a lot more terrain to ride by early next week.”

Gratz predicts gusty winds, intense snowfall and low visibility Saturday night with four to eight inches by early Sunday and more of the same through the day Sunday.

“Sunday is likely to be a wild day across the northern and maybe the central mountains,” Gratz wrote. “Intense snowfall. Gusty winds. Warming temperatures will create thicker snow. Difficult driving conditions due to low visibility from the combination of snow and wind. All central and northern mountains could see another 4-8 inches of snow during the day, and while there will be some powder, the quality of the skiing could be iffy based on strong winds and wind-blown snow. The higher elevations along the divide, and near and north of I-70 (Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland, Winter Park, Eldora), could see the most snow as these higher-elevations can do well in these setups with a lot of moisture and warming temperatures.”

The storm should end by Monday morning, which might be a great time to go skiing.

“If all the snow that we’re forecasting comes to fruition, I think Monday could be a day when mountain operations crews clean up a bit, get organized, and could open more terrain,” Gratz wrote. “The potentially thicker snow quality from Sunday, due to the stronger winds and warming temperatures, may be just what we need to create a thicker base and help a lot more terrain become ridable across the state. In the backcountry, be mindful of avalanche risk, which is always heightened with new snow and strong winds.”

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The internet has changed that, of course. Now, snow stakes often serve as marketing tools, even celebrities, for some resorts. Most have webcams focused on them around the clock so powder hounds can see for themselves how much snow has fallen. Several have time-lapse capability.

At the other extreme is Arapahoe Basin’s ultra-humble snow stake, which actually has no stake at all, and is decidedly old school in keeping with the vibe of a 77-year-old ski area nicknamed The Legend. It doesn’t have a measuring device, just a wooden A-Basin logo attached to a platform. It’s so anti-fancy, in fact, that it didn’t look, to The Denver Post, like it had been set up yet for the season — even though A-Basin was the first area in the state to open this year, as usual.

“Actually, that’s just it,” said Arapahoe Basin spokeswoman Shayna Silverman. “Our snow stake is more abstract and does not have numbers. You’ll see everything we report online, though.”

Two Colorado ski areas have redone their snow stakes this year to add some real personality.

Winter Park’s new snow stake is a work of art depicting four well-known mountains to the north, east, south and west of the resort — Longs Peak, Parry Peak, Byers Peak and Mount Blue Sky (formerly known as Mount Evans), along with rivers draining their snowmelt. It is a companion piece with a similar work of art that has been erected at the summit of the mountain. Both were created in partnership with Native and Indigenous artists to honor those peoples who summered for centuries where skiers play in the snow now.

“It’s a level of appreciation for those who came before us,” said Winter Park spokeswoman Jen Miller. “There’s something to feeling a sense of awe and wonder and connection when you’re standing at the top of a snowy mountain. There were Native and Indigenous people long before us that honored and respected the land and are better at articulating that sense of awe and appreciation. It’s really just honoring our true history and heritage beyond the ski resort.”

At Sunlight Mountain Resort on the western slope, the new snow stake has been designed to honor a unique aspect of Sunlight’s history. At the end of this season, Sunlight plans to retire the 70-year-old Segundo lift, the oldest operating lift in Colorado. Segundo began operation on Aspen Mountain in 1954 and was relocated to Sunlight in 1973. It has distinctive lattice-work steel towers, common in the middle of the last century, that remind some of childhood erector-set projects. The five-foot base of the new snow stake is designed to emulate those lift towers and was built at Conklin Welding and Fabrication in Glenwood Springs.

“We looked at snow stakes online and just felt like most were fairly generic,” said Sunlight spokesman Matt Ericksen. “Besides that, we really wanted to include some members of the community that have a ton of artistic talent. We’re a community, local-based mountain. We wanted to include some of those community members that have the ability to create a really special and neat snow stake for us. We’re also trying to pay homage to the Segundo lift.”

Barring unforeseen complications, the ancient two-person Segundo lift will be replaced next summer by what used to be Arapahoe Basin’s old Lenawee triple chair. For the past year, its parts have been stored in the maintenance area at Sunlight.

Here’s a peek at some of the more notable snow stakes around Colorado:

Aspen, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk: Snow stakes at all four Aspen Snowmass areas have wooden backgrounds with the Aspen Ski Company’s aspen-leaf logo and the name of the area in black letters, along with a large Hublot clock, a 24-hour measurement on one side and storm-total measurement on the other. They all have a time-lapse function, so you can see when the most recent snowstorm came through, but you have to click on the arrow to the left of the live images to access the time-lapse.

Beaver Creek: The Beav’s Snow Cam gets high marks for two features: It has a time-lapse function, and it has renderings of two six-inch chocolate cookies flanking the 24-inch measuring stick. If you don’t understand why those cookies are there, you’ve never had Beaver Creek’s famous free, freshly baked cookies at the end of the day. The snow stake used to have a clock and thermometer and they will be reinstalled soon.

Breckenridge: A simple 24-inch ruler marked off in two-inch increments, but like Beaver Creek, it has a 24-hour time-lapse function.

Cooper: Simply a three-foot pole marked off in two-inch increments, topped with the Cooper logo.

Copper Mountain: Copper’s sassy snow stake uses a little attitude to dress up its 18-inch measuring board. It has Copper’s logo displayed next to inches 15 through 18. It says “MEGA” next to  inches 12-13, “DEEP” next to inches 9-10, “DUMPING” next to the 6-inch mark, “POW DAY” next to the 4-inch mark and “FRESHIES” at 2 inches.

Eldora: This one is actually quite attractive, but it’s also difficult to describe, so we’ll let Eldora spokesman Sam Bass handle it. “It’s a laser-cut metal disc, with our tree logo cut out of the middle, and an amber-colored translucent acrylic disc mounted on the back with inches marked on the tree’s trunk.” Nailed it.

Keystone: Here we see a dial thermometer, a smaller circular clock within the thermometer face, an 18-inch measuring stick and a red Keystone logo.

Loveland: Another simple approach: a large plaque incorporating Loveland’s logo and a 20-inch measuring bar.

Powderhorn: A 16-inch ruler with limbs on both sides indicating snow depth in two-inch increments.

Purgatory: A two-foot measuring stick with a large Purgatory logo at the top.

Steamboat: There are two webcams. The Mid Mountain Snow Cam is located at Thunderhead and records Steamboat’s official snowfall. A Champagne Powder Cam is located at the summit of Sunshine Peak and isn’t regarded as the resort’s official snow measurement because of its higher elevation of 10,384 feet. The Mid Mountain Snow Cam is located at 9,080 feet.

Telluride: The “Powcam” is located in Prospect Basin. Like many snow cams in the state, it is set up to reflect 24-hour snow totals and the total snowfall from multi-day storms.

Vail: Another snow stake that measures 24-hour snowfall and storm totals with a time-lapse function. It has a clock and a thermometer. Measurement marks in one-inch increments are set against a photo of a blue sky over the back bowls.

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Growing up in the suburbs of New Orleans, La., I had a leg up on my fellow Southerners, at least. Both of my parents skied in Washington State where I was born, with my dad proposing to my mom by surprising her with an engagement ring in her ski goggles on Christmas 1994.

I took snowboarding lessons as a teenager on family trips to Alpental ski resort near Seattle and Park City, Utah. That was sufficient enough to proclaim my love of the sport because, even as my gear gathered dust in the attic, many of my peers hadn’t even stepped foot in fresh snow before.

Then, at the age of 26, I found a sublet in the Mile High City after accepting a reporting job at The Denver Post, with ski season already on the brain. Before I said goodbye to Washington, D.C., friends on the East Coast raved about the ski resorts dotted throughout the Centennial State, and my mom shipped decade-old equipment up to my new home.

But as I befriended Denverites who had largely relocated from the Midwest, a horrifying realization dawned on me: Compared to them, I didn’t know the first thing about snowboarding. For instance, my Minnesotan boyfriend started skiing in his middle school’s ski club, and can land tricks like aerial 360s. My friends would weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the Ikon and Epic Passes – both costing extraordinary amounts in the eyes of an amateur snowboarder.

With the help of peer pressure, I committed to my first ski pass last winter, an Ikon, vowing to make the $1,000 price tag worth every penny. In my inaugural season, I woke up at 5 a.m. to beat the inevitable Interstate 70 traffic, and spent a total of 14 days on the slopes, graduating from green runs to a double-black diamond.

And I only managed to give myself one minor concussion.

Last winter, I frequented five ski resorts, and can humbly offer my opinion on the best and worst destinations in Colorado for snowboarders who are still learning.

5. Winter Park Resort

In a controversial pick, Winter Park Resort takes the bottom spot on the list as my least favorite ski resort. My reasoning is simple: Winter Park isn’t built for snowboarders.

First opened in 1940 before the advent of snowboarding, skiers have enjoyed Winter Park for decades. But I had the opposite experience during my two visits because of the sheer amount of cat tracks, also known as catwalks. They’re flat trails “that traverse across the fall line (downward slope) of a mountain,” according to snowboarding brand Burton.

In order for a snowboarder to successfully conquer a cat track, she needs to build up speed in advance, which can be tough for a hesitant first-timer. If not, then she’s eventually left sliding to a stop.

And this isn’t solely an inconvenience suffered by snowboarders, but also by their skiing friends, who will inevitably have to extend their poles and execute minor rescues.

I recognize the cult following behind Winter Park, particularly because it’s only a 60-mile drive from Denver. But its proximity to the city means the resort is often crowded, making parking difficult.

Still, on New Year’s Eve, I’ll happily give it another chance as the resort is where I ring in 2024.

4. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Arapahoe Basin, or A-Basin, is held dearly beloved by Denverites because it’s another one of the closest options.

It’s also home to the only “beach” at a ski resort, the reserved front-row parking area where skiers and snowboarders can party all day with easy access to nearby lifts. A-Basin’s warm welcome to revelatory patrons – accompanied by designated drivers – and their leashed dogs is part of its mass appeal.

It boasts one of the state’s longest ski seasons, typically opening in October and closing in June, and offers more affordable season passes and day lift tickets than other giants in the ski industry.

I snowboarded A-Basin twice last season, including one solo day. Its Montezuma Bowl is a great spot to practice snowboarding in the trees, albeit a little steep at the top. Practicing on blue and black runs, I unlocked my fastest speed: 40 miles per hour.

But in my eyes, the ski area earns the No. 4 spot because its amenities are lackluster compared to competitors like Vail Resorts. And for a first-timer, the drive along the U.S. Highway 6 over Loveland Pass to reach the high-elevation ski area left me clammy and slightly terrified, especially as a snowstorm rolled in.

3. Vail Ski Resort

Vail Ski Resort, about 100 miles from Denver, sits in the middle of the pack. Its world-renowned reputation precedes it as an extravagant locale that Coloradans either hate to love or love to hate, but I give credit where it’s due: It’s an impressive resort, with well-groomed blue runs that I flew down (and, then, trekked back up because my lift ticket blew off of my ski jacket).

Although I got stuck a few times on flatter trails, the fresh powder on its back bowls made Vail an easy place to practice carving and making small jumps, with jaw-dropping mountain views. Since it’s the largest ski resort in the state, I only explored a portion of its 5,000 acres.

The lift tickets were a surprise gift from a friend, so, without them, I wouldn’t have gone since Vail isn’t included on the Ikon Pass, and a one-day ticket can jump as high as $300 at peak window price. Parking is also scant, with drivers sometimes leaving their cars across the interstate and walking great lengths to reach the slopes.

2. Steamboat Ski Resort

Steamboat Ski Resort takes silver in my rankings because, even though I visited during closing weekend, April 15-16, the widely-lauded quality of its snow still managed to impress.

Of course, slush and ice pooled at the bottom by the lifts, but, as I climbed higher and higher into the sky, the remaining snow made for excellent end-of-season snowboarding.

Steamboat is also where I attempted my first double-black diamond slope, bumbling through the trees before making it back onto the run. Although I mangled it, I carved through to the end, and that’s what matters, right?

The town of Steamboat, which offers easy access to the resort by bus or even on foot, serves as the picture of a classic ski destination nestled in the mountains, with popular hot springs like Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs ready to relax those aching muscles.

Although it’s a bucket-list snowboarding spot, it still falls short of No. 1 because of its distance from Denver at over 150 miles, which means three to four hours of driving one way.

1. Copper Mountain Resort

Easily navigable and luxurious, Copper Mountain Resort ranks as my top-tier Colorado ski resort. Just check my kitchen cabinet – at least three aluminum cups from various watering holes at Copper have been kept as souvenirs.

This is where it all began for me last December. In the season’s earliest days, I slid down the green runs, then transitioned to blue runs. I took advantage of the often-uncrowded slopes to make plenty of mistakes, falling hard when I tried to carve or even gracefully exit the ski lift (every snowboarder’s nightmare).

Still, I felt comfortable riding solo at Copper, and racked up seven days there, finally moving onto black diamond runs and moguls, or fields of bumpy terrain.

The main lifts – American Flyer and American Eagle – stay very busy at peak times, so arriving early is worth the sacrificed sleep.

Depending on the traffic, the 90-mile drive to Copper from Denver only takes an hour and a half on a good day, so it’s more accessible for city slickers. It counts as my go-to spot to bring friends and family members from out of town.

The free shuttle buses from the parking lots circulate reliably, with an easy system to ferry visitors to their preferred runs, with green, blue, black and purple express routes. And after hours of shredding, I can easily find a snack – and, more importantly, a strong cocktail – at one of several bars and restaurants eager for exhausted snowboarders to stay a while.

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Colorado’s snowpack statewide was at 53% of average as of Friday. Only Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Powderhorn and the Aspen area mountains are at or near average snowpack for this time of year. Nearly every area that is open for skiing is offering 6% of its skiable terrain or less. The only exception is Eldora, which is reporting 15% of its terrain in operation.

The storm this weekend may help, according to the OpenSnow forecasting and reporting service, and it could deliver a foot or two to Purgatory and Wolf Creek, but elsewhere it may be only good for three to eight inches. Snow is expected to continue through Saturday afternoon, according to OpenSnow’s Joel Gratz.

“I think most locations should keep expectations on the low side with 3-6 inches as a reasonable average, though areas east of the divide, some spots in the west-central mountains, and many areas of the southern mountains will see the highest snow totals with snowflakes flying through sometime on Saturday,” Gratz wrote in Wednesday’s forecast. “This storm will not raise the statewide snowpack up to average, but it will deepen the base across the state, and parts of the southern mountains could rocket from nearly dry to a decent snowpack by the end of the storm.”

Gratz doesn’t anticipate another storm until next weekend at the earliest, but temperatures will be cool next week, which would help maintain what negligible snow there is on the ground and enable ongoing snowmaking operations.

Here’s a list of select ski areas with the percentage of open terrain they reported on Wednesday, according to figures provided by Colorado Ski Country USA and Vail Resorts:

Arapahoe Basin, 2%; Copper Mountain, 3%; Eldora, 15%; Loveland, 4%; Aspen Mountain, 5%; Snowmass, 1%; Purgatory, 2%; Steamboat, 6%; Winter Park, 4%; Vail, 7%; Keystone, 9%; Breckenridge, 6%; Beaver Creek, 1%. Crested Butte is not reporting the percentage of terrain it has open, but it is operating only six of 165 trails.

“The longer-range forecasts are slowly trending toward a stormier outlook for the western U.S.,” Gratz wrote, “so I am cautiously optimistic that we’ll see a storm (or two or three) during the first half of December, and maybe with some luck, one or two of these storms will produce significant snow and help increase available terrain across the state.”

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Telluride Ski Resort, which had been scheduled to open on Thanksgiving, is now looking at Dec. 2 or Dec. 8, according to a post on its Instagram page.

Steamboat, Beaver Creek and Crested Butte are slated to open Wednesday. Aspen Mountain and Snowmass will open on Thursday, and Powderhorn will open on Friday. That will bring the number of open areas in Colorado to 16.

Aspen Snowmass announced on Tuesday that it will open 41 acres on the upper slopes of Aspen Mountain and 16 acres in Elk Camp Meadows at Snowmass.

Most of the areas currently operating have had meager natural snowfall that is 20% to 50% below normal, and less than 6% of the trails are open at those areas. Steamboat officials said the resort will open Wednesday with 25 acres, which would amount to about 3% of its skiable terrain when fully open. Steamboat is at 52% below normal for snowfall.

“We’re eager to kick off another incredible season at Steamboat and applaud our operations teams in their efforts to get the resort open,” said Dave Hunter, vice president of resort operations, in a news release. “This preseason has been dryer than usual, but we’ve maximized snowmaking opportunities and will continue to take advantage of cold temperatures and natural snow to open more terrain. We can’t wait to see what this winter has in store for us.”

Other areas opening this week are expected to announce later in the week how much terrain they will have to offer. Telluride said an update on its opening day can be expected next Monday.

“We pride ourselves on opening with a quality product and wall-to-wall coverage that provides a fun and safe skiing experience,” said Patrick Latcham, vice president of sales and marketing.

Asked about refunds at Telluride for this week because of the postponed opening, resort spokesman Sabastian Wee said skiers affected should contact the resort at 970-728-7517 or passes@telski.com.

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“Early ups” allow visitors to board lifts 30 minutes or more before they open to the general public, usually for $50 to $70, in order to get a crack at undisturbed snow. Other areas that offer early ups include Copper Mountain, Steamboat, Aspen Mountain and Snowmass. Beaver Creek and Keystone offer early ups on select days.

Based on reactions to the announcement on Winter Park’s Instagram page, many Winter Park skiers and riders welcome the early-ups offer, as indicated by almost 1,000 likes. But many of the 108 comments on the Instagram post have been highly critical.

Here is a sampling of those reactions:

“I will be throwing snowballs (at) every single person I see getting on the lift with an early ups pass.”

“Any caviar available at the Super Gauge (lift)?”

“You guys should … do some reflecting on your similarities to the money hungry bad guys. There is no move that has single handedly ruined this sport more. Disgraceful.”

“First chair should be earned, not bought.”

“This absolutely sucks and my disappointment is immeasurable.”

“What a shame. You held out against this kind of greed for years while others succumbed. This is the opposite of how @winterparkresort has earned the love and loyalty of locals for decades and decades. Big BOOOOOOOOOOO.”

“This is very sad. You’re taking our sacred sport … and exploiting the mountains yet again for the sake of greed. You are also even further alienating this sport from the masses with ridiculous fees and incentives. Where are the ethics in your decision making? Terrible move WP!”

“Thanks for ruining another thing. Going against your core supporters for the sake of greed is an awesome move. Great work guys!!!!”

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For resort officials, the backlash “wasn’t totally unexpected,” according to Winter Park spokeswoman Jen Miller.

“We did expect some people would be upset and think that it is only for people who have money, who have resources,” Miller said. “We’ve had more and more guests ask for an easier way to access the slopes earlier than 9 a.m., so we created Early Ups as a benefit that anyone can purchase to upgrade their pass. Before Early Ups, guests could hire a mountain guide to take them up the lifts early, or they could uphill on their own. Those options are still available.”

Below is a list of Colorado resorts offering “early ups” this winter with details. Prices listed do not include lift tickets:

Winter Park: Early ups will cost $49 when purchased seven days in advance and $59 when purchased six days in advance or fewer. Holiday prices will be $69. Early-ups lift access will begin at 8:30 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends, 30 minutes before the general public gets to board.

Copper Mountain: “Fast Tracks” privileges at the American Eagle lift begin 30 minutes early, and they include dedicated express lift-line privileges for the rest of the day. They can be purchased online in advance or at the base area. Prices vary from $49 to $79. Copper inaugurated the product in 2001, and it has had three name changes. It was rebranded Fast Tracks in 2021.

Steamboat: At Steamboat, early-ups privileges are called First Tracks. The Wild Blue Gondola will load First Tracks skiers between 8-8:15 a.m. Upgrades must be purchased in advance on the Steamboat website. They cost $55 if purchased at least seven days in advance, and $65 when purchased from one to six days in advance. Holiday prices (Christmas-New Years, MLK Day Weekend and Feb. 17-25) will cost $75.

Aspen Mountain: First Tracks are offered free of charge to those taking private lessons or guided experiences through the Aspen ski and snowboard schools, and to guests staying at the Limelight or Little Nell hotels.

Snowmass: First Tracks will be offered free of charge to anyone on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on a space-available basis.

Beaver Creek: First Tracks at Beaver Creek will be offered on Dec. 30, Jan. 2 and Feb. 18. The price is $200 and includes a gourmet breakfast. The lift for First Tracks skiers loads at 7:15 a.m.

Keystone: First Tracks will be offered to lodging guests and rental owners on eight days this season (Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 1, March 8 and March 15). First Tracks visitors must be in position to load the River Run Gondola between 7:30 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. Lifts open to the general public at 8:30 a.m.

Breckenridge: “Community first tracks” will be offered exclusively to locals as a goodwill gesture on dates yet to be determined.

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“Every color, every creed,” he said.

After moving to Colorado in 2018, Ward continued to enjoy winter sports and often went to the slopes solo. He’d connect with other – mostly white – skiers, who were largely welcoming. But a few unsavory encounters stick with him to this day.

Ward recalls how people, emboldened by a few beers, would comment about the lack of people of color who ski.

“The jokes start coming in. I’d get dirty looks sometimes walking through like I’m not supposed to be there. Sometimes just outright racial slurs shouted at me as people zip by the hill,” said Ward, who is African-American. “It happens a lot to us.”

Ward recognized a need for safe spaces in Colorado snow sports for people of color. So he decided to create one.

In 2021, Ward founded the BIPOC Mountain Collective with a mission to introduce more people from diverse backgrounds to skiing and snowboarding. The organization aims to lower the barriers to entry for snow sports and build a robust community of outdoor enthusiasts who recreate together.

One way it does that is by providing low-cost opportunities for individuals to learn the basics of snow sports and try them out before investing in pricy equipment and gear.

“One of the things that people believe is that people of color don’t ski because they can’t afford to. Because skiing’s just too expensive, it’s an elitist sport, and so on and so forth. That’s not necessarily the truth,” Ward said. “The narrative we’re trying to show, it’s not that it’s too expensive — it’s too expensive to try and see if you like it.”

In October, BIPOC Mountain Collective hosted more than 70 people for a beginner clinic at the Snöbahn indoor training facility. Semi-private lessons start at $60, but BIPOC Mountain Collective subsidized the price so its members paid $25 each.

Membership to the organization carries a $39.99 annual fee, which supports Ward’s administrative functions. Member perks include first access to sign up for events, plus other discounts and incentives. Folks can also sign up for the BIPOC Mountain Collective’s email list for free to keep up to date on local happenings.

On Dec. 2, the group travels to Eldora Mountain Ski Resort where members get a lift ticket, skiing or snowboarding lessons, and access to an après ski barbecue for $50. Tickets to the second annual event are sold out, but the barbecue is free and open to the public. Anyone who wants to purchase their own lift ticket is welcome to join in the fun. Ward expects about 100 people to attend.

Members can also borrow snow apparel, skis and snowboards from BIPOC Mountain Collective’s gear locker free of charge. That helps nascent skiers understand the utility and feel of certain equipment so they’re more prepared when they need to buy or rent their own, Ward said.

BIPOC Mountain Collective hosts monthly ski trips in the winter, during which its members carpool to a resort, enjoy the slopes and toast to the day with an après ski tailgate. Additionally, Ward plans to organize backcountry trips this season for adept skiers looking for a community to shred with.

These opportunities are already growing the community. Ward said about a third of people who come to the collective with little or no experience end up becoming regular riders within a year or two. That adds representation on the slopes, another key component to making the mountains more accessible.

According to the Lakewood-based National Ski Areas Association, the vast majority of people who participate in downhill snow sports identify as white. In its most recent demographic survey, conducted during the 2022-23 ski season, just 1.5% of respondents identified as Black or African-American compared to 88.1% who identified as white.

Skiing’s reputation as a white sport is hardly new. When it was first adopted as a recreational activity in the United States in the mid-20th century, skiing was marketed as an extension of European and Scandinavian culture. Against the backdrop of segregation and the Civil Rights movement, Black skiers faced discrimination, leading to the founding of several Black ski clubs that enabled recreators to travel in groups for added safety.

In 1973, the National Brotherhood of Skiers convened in Aspen for a first-of-its-kind summit that brought together more than 350 enthusiasts from Black ski clubs across the country. The organization just celebrated its 50th anniversary in Vail earlier this year and will return to celebrate its homecoming Dec. 13 to 17 at Copper Mountain, an apt opportunity for local skiers of color to find community.

“If you want to do this but don’t know where to start, homecoming is a great way to do that because you get discount on lift tickets, half off lessons and there’s a full gamut of entertainment that’s occurring at the same time,” Ward said.

While winter is BIPOC Mountain Collective’s busiest season, the group is part of the larger Vibe Tribe Adventures organization that plans excursions throughout the year to promote diversity and equity in outdoor recreation.

The BIPOC Mountain Collective’s tagline is “never ride alone” so people of color know they always have a place in the outdoors.

“There’s this feeling usually when you’re a person of color and you’re doing something not typically associated with us — you feel alone,” Ward said. “By joining us you’re not alone, you don’t ever have to ride alone.”

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“A beach bum named Warren Miller decided windburn was better than sunburn, and noticed that toting a camera around the mountain got him a lot of dates,” the narrator says. “So, in 1949, he made a ski movie. In 1950, he made another ski movie. And another, and another … .”

Thus begins a Warren Miller film like no other. This one is intended to celebrate the creator of the series, who sold the company in 1988 and died in 2018, as well as his ongoing legacy. With the 75th anniversary of his first film, “Deep and Light,” coming next year, this year’s film celebrates the past. Next year’s will look at where skiing, snowboarding and the film genre they inspire may be heading.

“All Time,” which will be playing at the Boulder Theater Nov. 9-11 and the Paramount in downtown Denver Nov. 16-18, has the usual assortment of beginner falls, ripping powder shots, bone-shaking crashes, and big-mountain skiers and snowboarders outrunning avalanches in exotic locales. But it’s also designed to show the evolution of skiing, decade by decade, beginning with wooden skis and leather boots, Hollywood stars in Sun Valley and dancers in stretch pants doing the twist in après-ski haunts.

Its arc includes the advent of snowboarding, big-mountain heli-skiing and terrain parks. The film was created in Boulder at the offices of Outside Interactive Inc., which owns Warren Miller Entertainment.

“I think what I’m most proud of is getting a cross-section of 74 years of films into an hour-long program, and without feeling like just an hour-long montage of shots, but applying some sort of structure to it,” director Josh Haskins said in an interview. “I’m proud of building those decade pieces into it, to give a bit of structure, while also being able to get as many athletes who have been involved over the years into the film as possible. To be able to show as many moments as we could, without it feeling too quick-cutty or too fast-paced.”

RELATED: The Warren Miller ski movie brand isn’t dying a slow death after all

It’s been almost 20 years since Miller was involved with films that still bear his name, but his presence is palpable in every scene, with “pillars of filmmaking that Warren created over the years,” Haskins said. “Great action, comedy and global adventure are pillars that we try and focus on each year, and are things that were so important to Warren when he was the guy.”

It wasn’t easy to distill, because there was so much great material.

“This project, going into it, was completely overwhelming given the task of condensing 74 years of films into an hour-long film,” Haskins said. “Our team of producers and editors and filmmakers really took the better part of (last) winter to get our arms around it creatively before we even started editing. But once that editing process started, and we had some ideas flushed out and a bit of a narrative arc applied to the film, we all really felt like it was going in a great direction.”

Having spent so many months combing through hours and hours of old film footage, Haskins wondered why a Miller retrospective hadn’t been done sooner.

“I really was pleased that we were able to give a nod to everyone who has been involved throughout the history and the legacy of the company, starting with Warren,” Haskins said. “I think a lot of our younger audience may not know who Warren was, so it was really enjoyable to put a focus on Warren the man, and give that appreciative nod to all the athletes, filmmakers, resorts and snow-sports operators out there who are so integral to this project and these films.”

For countless skiers over seven decades, ski season began when Miller ended each year’s film with his signature signoff, “Winter starts now.” Jonny Moseley, who has been the narrator since 2007, has carried on that tradition.

The essence of Miller’s films was a burning passion for skiing and a deep love for the beauty of mountains in winter, told always with cornball humor and reverence for the skier’s lifestyle. At the end of this year’s film, Miller is heard to say: “I’ve changed a lot of lives by showing people that there’s another way to live. I hope I’ve changed yours.”

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Eldora and Winter Park will kick off their seasons on Friday. Eldora’s opening comes two weeks earlier than scheduled and will mark one of its earliest openings in the past 30 years. Eldora has received 15 inches of natural snow in recent days and plans to open three trails with a vertical drop of 1,000 feet. A small terrain park also will be operating.

Eldora has had only one earlier opening since the 1990s, Nov. 1 in 2019.

Winter Park also received 15 inches of natural snow in recent days. It will be operating the Gemini Express lift serving two trails.

Both areas will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Winter Park will open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Arapahoe Basin opened on Sunday and Keystone opened on Wednesday. Breckenridge and Vail are scheduled to open next week. Wolf Creek will open next weekend, just for the weekend, and then will be open for daily skiing beginning the following weekend.

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A-Basin officials announced Friday that the 77-year-old area nicknamed “The Legend” will open on Sunday, which will mark the 11th time in 13 years that it beat its local rivals to become the first Front Range area open for the season. It also tied for opening day honors with Loveland in 2015. Wolf Creek in southern Colorado was the first in the state to open in 2020 and 2021.

Related: Here’s when every Colorado ski resort plans to open for the 2023-24 season

“There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing people having fun skiing and riding on the hill,” said Alan Henceroth, the area’s chief operating officer. “Our team is incredibly excited to get Arapahoe Basin open and starting the fun.”

Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland opened Nov. 6-11 in 2020, but Wolf Creek opened on Oct. 28 that year to preserve Colorado’s October streak. Last year Arapahoe Basin opened on Oct. 23, followed by Keystone on Oct. 28 and Loveland on Nov. 3.

It may take a few more days for Keystone and Loveland to get open, but they will be aided by cold temperatures and snowfall this weekend. Widespread mountain communities will receive snow this weekend, and in some locations, accumulation could be significant.

Joel Gratz, founding meteorologist at OpenSnow.com, expects 10-15 inches favoring the northern and central mountains beginning Friday at midnight and extending through midday Sunday with narrow bands of “intense” snow.

“The jet stream will linger over central Colorado for a solid 24 hours,” Gratz said. “This fast-moving ‘river of air’ at around 35,000 feet, about where commercial airplanes fly, is what will create these narrow bands. While we cannot be certain exactly where the most intense snow will fall, knowing that the jet stream will be overhead explains why the forecast models are all generating deep snow totals in the same general area.”

Gratz said the most significant snowfall should occur along a line from southwest to northeast including Sunlight, Snowmass, Aspen, most of the Interstate 70 mountains from Beaver Creek to Winter Park, and possibly extending to Eldora.

“Snow amounts of 20-plus inches are possible for locations that are lucky and happen to be under the more intense bands for the longest period of time,” Gratz said. “Snowfall rates could peak at 2-3 inches per hour.”

Temperatures through Tuesday night also should allow for productive snowmaking operations as well.

“As we look into the coming weekend, our team is really excited to see longer, sustained temperature windows for snowmaking,” Keystone spokesman Max Winter said. “The forecasts can change on a dime, so it is really hard for us to make any certain predictions about our opening timeline and whether we’ll be skiing before the end of the month, but you can rest assured if there’s snow to be made, we’ll be making it. With around-the-clock, 24-hour snowmaking, we can create enough snow to open our mountain in just two to three days.”

Snowmaking crews at Loveland are eagerly awaiting this weekend’s cold temperatures and natural snowfall as well, according to spokesman John Sellers.

“The ski area will look a lot different Monday morning,” Sellers said, conceding that an October opening for Loveland may not be in the offing this year. “We always work hard to open as soon as we can, but we need help from Mother Nature to get the season started. She always comes through, but it just took a little bit longer. We are as excited as everyone else to start the season and are working hard to get open as soon as possible.”

Starting Sunday, A-Basin will operate seven days a week from 8:30 until 4 p.m. on weekends, and it will open for weekday skiing at 9 a.m. Skiing and riding on opening day will happen on the High Noon trail from mid-mountain to the base. A Halloween band will play from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., and there will be a costume contest.

The ticket window price will be $129. Skiers and riders must purchase online in advance.

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