Blog

Colorado’s Monarch Mountain is Opening Historically Early

by Greg Colquitt | October 31, 2019

The earliest opening since 1969 with no artificial snow.

The God’s smiled and poof, Colorado had snow. This winter has Colorado ski resorts opening at record-setting early dates–currently four resorts are open, not including Winter Park set to open Saturday and Monarch on Friday. Though many resorts use artificial snow to open early, Monarch Mountain will never touch the stuff. That means this winter has been snow-profitable enough to generate a sound base (24″) for the all-natural resort to open its doors to skiers and riders this Friday.

The Details

Monarch will be open for business this Friday, Saturday, & Sunday for skiing and riding for only $57. Three lifts–Caterpillar, Tumbelina, and Pioneer–will be spinning all day.

A mountain away from the resort.

Everyone is looking for an authentic mountain experience and very few places can provide such an experience like Monarch. Forget the hundreds of food and shopping options or ten different ways to get your latte, here there is the Main Lodge and only a couple choices within it. In essence, you will get your food and drinks and they will be tasty (No, really. The stuff’s great), but the focus isn’t the amenities–it’s the snow.

Real Snow is Different

Real snow feels special. No, not in a frou frou sort of way that requires extra coddling. I mean it feels really good under your skis–something that artificial snow cannot compete with. Now, this means something early and late season at other resorts where this artificial snow is exposed, but later in the season not so much. At a certain point, all resorts turn off the snow guns and let the heavenly drops fall from on high. Monarch happens to get a lot of the natural stuff to the tune of about 350″ each year on average. It’s not about to stop either.

Get out and try something new.

Like taking a step back in time when folks cared about skiing and skiing only, Monarch pays homage to a simpler time. Take a detour off the normal Summit County or I-70 corridor and head to the Arkansas Valley for some of the best snow and one of the best ski cultures in Colorado. If you’re in for great terrain and a unique skiing experience, Monarch is your place.

Make the trip. You won’t regret it.

 

Featured Resorts

More from the Blog