Thing of the past: In the future, children in Colorado won't know what a closed ski area is like

Colorado snowfall a mixed blessing - The Denver Post

Farther southwest and deeper into the mountains, Wolf Creek Ski Area hosted the first turns of the 2011-12 season with 8 inches of fresh snow atop 36 inches that fell two days ago.

More than 1,500 skiers and boarders rallied at the ski area, which opened three lifts and plans to stay open through Monday and then reopen next weekend. The Oct. 8 opening is one of earliest ever for Colorado. Loveland ski area opened Oct. 7 in 2009 and Arapahoe Basin​ opened Oct. 10 that year, the earliest in its history.

With barely three months separating the Fourth of July closure of Arapahoe Basin and Saturday's opening at Wolf Creek, Colorado Ski Country chief Melanie Mills crowed: "At this rate, Colorado is practically a year-round ski destination."