As the days start to get longer and the weather warms, Colorado’s snowpack will slowly begin to melt off its peaks, bringing hope for a wildfire-free summer.

With Colorado’s snowpack typically reaching its peak at some point at the beginning of April, ski area’s bases will slowly begin to shrink, and mountain operation teams will turn toward closing the slopes for the season. 

Although this winter season may have felt like major storms have been infrequent, the bases at ski areas are close, or on par with the snow totals that have historically been seen over the last four years at this time of year.

As of Thursday, March 21, Breckenridge Ski Resort led the way among Summit County ski areas with a 62-inch base with Arapahoe Basin Ski Area quickly following with 61 inches. Copper Mountain Resort ranked third with 60 inches with Loveland Ski Area recording 58 inches and Keystone Resort reporting 54 inches.

In comparison to base snow totals at this time of year over the previous four seasons, this year’s numbers are within a few inches with the only major outlier being from March 14, 2020, when Breckenridge Ski Resort reported a 74-inch base prior to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ordering all ski resorts across the state to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile at other ski resorts in 2020, A-basin reported 60 inches, Loveland had 59 inches, Keystone recorded 54 inches and Copper had 53 inches. According to data from Summit Daily News archives, Summit County ski areas have hovered in the 50 inch to 60 inch-base range in the latter part of March for the past five years.

Specifically, Breckenridge leads the way with an average of 62.6 inches and A-Basin follows with an average of 60.4 inches. Loveland, Copper and Keystone all have averages in the mid-50s with Loveland at 57.6 inches, Copper at 55.2 and Keystone at 52.2.

Like previous seasons, the bases are expected to provide a strong surface for springtime skiing as snow begins to slowly flow down the mountain and spill into the High Country’s network of rivers and creeks.

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With 250 inches of season-to-date snowfall and a few more inches in the forecast this weekend, Breckenridge’s snowpack is sturdy and is expected to keep guests on its slopes throughout the heights of springs. 

“We have started to see the typical freeze/thaw cycle come into play the last few days, so skiers and riders should be aware of changing snow conditions throughout the day with firmer packed snow in the morning softening midday and into the afternoon,” senior specialist in communications Sarah McLear said. 

Though Breckenridge does not announce a closing day in advance, the ski resort anticipates skiing and riding at least into May. Last season, Breckenridge welcomed guests until the third week of May, hosting a closing day on May 21. 

Similar to Breckenridge, A-Basin also has a strong layer of snow at the ski area and is currently relishing in the springtime weather.

“Spring is one of the best times of the year. The days get longer, and the snow keeps coming here at The Basin,” communications manager Shayna Silverman said. ” More snow is always great, and wind helps keep things fresh. We’ve been getting a cycle of a few days of snow and then a few days of sunshine. The sunshine has been really softening things in the afternoon, getting us all excited for slushy, spring skiing.”

A-Basin has yet to set a closing date. As always the ski area is planning to ski and ride as long as possible. Last year, the ski area closed on June 4th, but the slopes have stayed open as late as July 4th in the past. 

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Copper has seen 36 inches of snow so far this month, boosting its season-to-date snow totals to 253 inches. The consistent snow has set up the ski resort perfectly for hosting spring-break crowds.

In response to pushing back its closing date by a week last season, Copper has set its closing date as April 28 this year, which is a week later than its traditional, annual closing day.

Over the next few weeks, Copper’s mountain operation teams are expected to monitor and eventually close areas of the mountain like Copper Bowl and its peripheral lifts on the front side of the mountain. These closures will most likely not take place until at least mid-April.

With only a little over two weeks remaining in its season, Keystone is already in the peak of its spring skiing season with guests lapping the mountain in t-shirts and soaking in the rays.

“While our coverage is overall still good and our upper mountain terrain is looking great, it’s the time of the season when we start to see some thin areas in our snowpack,” McLear said.  “Firm conditions in the morning give way to softer snow around lunchtime, as is typical during our spring freeze/thaw cycle.”

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Keystone and Breckenridge are closely monitoring the depth of the base on a daily basis in order to determine what trails are safe to open and which ones need to close for the season. 

Keystone’s final day of the 2023-24 season is set for Sunday, April 7, where the resort will celebrate the ski season with its Springtastic celebration. The celebration will begin with a rail jam on Saturday, April 6, and will be followed by its Slush Cup Pond Skim on Sunday.

Loveland has set a closing day for May 12 — five days later than last season. Closing day will include springtime laps, an outdoor barbecue, drink specials and live music.