And so the fun begins; check out the photo above taken from the Arapahoe Basin webcam about an hour after opening. If you’re looking at today’s live webcam image from A-Basin over there in the right hand column and wondering why it doesn’t make any sense, that’s because servers and such “cache” the feed. Depending on when you look at it, the feed could be a couple hours old…the Basin was sniped this year for lower 48 first-to-open honors by Timberline Lodge last weekend, they got a foot of fresh overnight and a fraction of the crowd…big news out of Michigan, the Otsego Club & Resort or Gaylord Ski Resort (not sure how the names all fit) anyway, it’s been a private ski area since 1939, finally going to open to the public this season. They’ve been having trouble getting enough interest and revenue just from membership, and apparently have no intentions of closing down. So now you may ski at the club. They also added a bunch of snowmaking capacity…latest news in the EB-5 fraud case involving Jay Peak and Burke Mountain; State of Vermont officials say the state should not be held liable for damages suffered by investors. VT attorney general submitted a motion earlier this week to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the international investors. It all stems from allegations that Jay Peak ski resort owner and Miami businessman Ariel Quiros and former Jay president William Stenger misused over $200 million raised from EB-5 investors. EB-5 is a program by which foreigners can grease the road to citizenship if they invest in distressed regions and create a certain number of jobs. Quiros allegedly used the money to buy Burke Mountain and build a hotel, under the guise of building a tech center in downtown St. Albans VT…back to Colorado, here are the scheduled openings as of now:
Aspen Mountain: Nov. 23
Aspen Snowmass: Nov. 23
Beaver Creek: Nov. 17
Breckenridge: Nov. 10
Buttermilk: Dec. 9
Ski Cooper: Dec. 9
Copper Mountain: Nov. 10
Crested Butte: Nov. 23
Eldora: Nov. 17
Keystone: Nov 10
Loveland: Unknown; possibly October 20
Powderhorn: Dec. 15
Purgatory: Nov. 18
Steamboat Ski Area: Nov. 22
Telluride Ski Resort: Nov. 23
Vail: Nov. 17
Winter Park: Nov. 15
…and Wolf Creek is targeting November 3rd, but who knows. Right now conditions are best described as “igneous”…more ski swaps this weekend — reminder if you haven’t geared up, this is probably the most affordable way to do it.