It’s another warm, clear, sunny day in Summit County. And skiers are getting antsy.
Snowpack today is dismal – just 18% of historical average for Nov. 10. Summit has not been this dry since 2016-2017, when the snow didn’t fly until the week before Thanksgiving.
But there was a silver lining that year. Early December made up for a slow start, and then January was a monster with more than six feet of snow in a month, bumping the snowpack into near-record territory. Snowfall remained consistent until drying out over spring break, from mid-March to April.
Summit could use a repeat of that season, stat. Along with dismal snowpack, drought conditions today are severe to extreme along the I-70 mountain corridor.
Against all odds, five of five local ski areas are open daily on less than a foot of natural snowfall.
Breckenridge and Copper opened this past Friday, Nov. 7 on 100% manmade snow.
Loveland opened on Saturday, Nov. 8 for its latest opening since (you guessed it) the 2016-2017 season.
Preview image by Casey Day via Loveland Ski Area from opening day Nov. 8, 2025.
