Vail Resorts Planned Opening Dates 2020-21 (8/27/20 update)

[NYSkiBlog]

NEW ENGLAND
Wildcat: November 13
Mount Snow: November 14
Hunter: November 20
Stowe: November 20
Okemo: November 21
Mount Sunapee: November 25
Attitash: December 4
Crotched: December 5

MID-ATLANTIC
Big Boulder: December 4
Round Top: December 11
Jack Frost: December 11
Liberty: December 18
Whitetail: December 18

ROCKIES
Keystone: November 6
Breckenridge: November 13
Vail: November 20
Park City: November 20
Beaver Creek: November 25
Crested Butte: November 25

WEST
Heavenly: November 20
Northstar: November 20
Kirkwood: December 4
Stevens Pass: December 4

MIDWEST
Afton Alps: December 4
Wilmot Mountain: December 5
Mt Brighton: December 5
December 19: Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Mad River Mountain, Hidden Valley, Snow Creek, Paoli Peaks

CANADA
Whistler Blackcomb: November 26

 

[MarzNC]

MID-ATLANTIC
Big Boulder: December 4
Round Top: December 11
Jack Frost: December 11
Liberty: December 18
Whitetail: December 18

Hmm, wonder if these dates are because of the need to drastically lower capacity in the Mid-A for traditionally busy times or because it's hard to make money running snowguns in November in PA in order to be open by Thanksgiving weekend.

Round Top was traditionally open by late Nov if the Mother Nature was at all cooperative under Snowtime ownership. 2019-20 was the first season under VR, after one season under Peak Resorts. Irv Naylor created and founded Roundtop back in 1964. For a while he owned Windham but sold it in order to focus on the three Snowtime ski areas, which serve central PA and DC/Baltimore: Roundtop, Liberty, and Whitetail. My guess is that he could've sold to VR directly but thought as a family-run company Peak Resorts was a better fit in 2018. Oh well . . .

 

[Brownski]

I suspect that the industry in general will wait until there’s more then a WROD this year. Expect more then just one lift operating on opening day I think, even if it means waiting an extra three weeks.

 

[MarzNC]

I suspect that the industry in general will wait until there’s more then a WROD this year.

Perhaps true for many ski areas/resorts. Especially relatively small mountains near major populations centers in the northeast, southeast, and midwest.

Wildcat and Mount Snow are set to open by mid-Nov. Keystone is supposed to open on Nov. 6. Several other VR resorts will be open before Thanksgiving week. But only Epic passholders will have access. That's where VR can do things differently because of the approach they took to acquisitions in the past 5-10 years, as well as the Epic pass back in 2008.

I've skied enough of the VR ski areas and resorts in more than one region before they were under VR ownership to understand why some people like them. Also have impressions of who has been buying Epic passes as local season passes. At this point, I have little reason to get any sort of Epic pass, so I'm just watching as an interested bystander.

I would guess Boyne Resorts is happy that VR isn't opening their Midwest resorts until December. Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands typically open mid-November.