Copper Mountain fired up its snowmaking guns Wednesday in preparation for winter operations

The first day of October is the first day of the water year, marks the start of snowpack measuring in Colorado, and snow is in the forecast for the high country.

The first October snow event is forecast for the Saturday and Sunday, with the possibility of measurable snow down to 7,500 feet for several locations in Colorado’s mountains.

To make skiers and riders even more happy, Summit County ski resort Copper Mountain tested its snowmaking guns underneath the Super Bee and Excelerator chair lifts Wednesday morning as winter preparation plans begin.

• From early Saturday morning through Monday morning, two storm waves are forecast to sweep across Colorado, one on Saturday and the other Sunday night into Monday, bringing snow to all three mountain zones.

Forecast models from the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) have the heaviest snow falling in the southern mountains – San Juans mostly – with accumulations of between 6-10 inches by Monday morning.

Purgatory, Telluride and Silverton should receive the most snow as this storm pushes moisture on northeastern flows as a low pressure moves across the northern part of Colorado.

• Further north, the central mountains should see less snowfall, with between 2-4 inches possible, and in the northern mountains between 2-5 inches with the heaviest snowfall along the Continental Divide and Front Range mountains west of Denver and Fort Collins.

• More snow is possible heading into the first full week of October, especially around Friday, Oct. 10 – Sunday, Oct. 12.

Overnight temperatures are falling below 32 degrees in small amounts each night above 9,000 feet, but still need to become more regular for the ski areas to regularly make snow each night to build up bases for skiing and riding to occur.

Copper Mountain tested its snowmaking equipment up high under the Super Bee and Excelerator chairlifts Wednesday morning, blowing snow onto Copperopolis and Rosie’s Run trails.

“Overnight temperatures dropped low enough for our snowmaking team fire up the snow guns early this morning, marking the unofficial start to the 2025–26 winter season,” Molly Glandt, Communications Coordinator at Copper Mountain said. “Crews will continue making snow at every opportunity over the coming weeks as we gear up for the season ahead.”

Last winter was a below-average snowpack season, with the state recording the fourth-lowest snowpack in last 40 years and the state’s snowpack reaching it’s highest overall percentage-of-median average in mid-January at around 95%.

As reported by Denver Gazette news partner 9News’ meteorologist Chris Bianchi on Sept. 16, he said “coming off of a generally subpar snow season with an unusually fast snow melt, a weak La Niña could set the stage for another subpar season, especially for our southern mountains.”

Bianchi also said last winter’s snowpack featured a well-below average snow season for the southern mountains, specifically the San Juans and the Sangre de Cristos (generally 60-70% of average snowpack), while the state saw slightly below average snowfall across the central and northern mountains (generally 80-90% of average).

“That’s a classic look for a La Niña winter in Colorado,” Bianchi said.

2024-25 season snowfall totals for Colorado ski resorts:

• Arapahoe Basin – 287″
• Aspen Highlands – 292″
• Aspen Mountain – 240″
• Beaver Creek – 250″
• Breckenridge – 326″
• Buttermilk – 163″
• Cooper – 221″
• Copper Mountain – 340″
• Crested Butte – 230″
• Echo Mountain – 73″
• Eldora Mountain – 219″
• Granby Ranch – 110″
• Hesperus – 0″, never opened
• Howelsen Hill – 85″
• Kendall Mountain – 147″
• Keystone – 256″
• Loveland – 327″
• Monarch – 222″
• Powderhorn – 196″
• Purgatory – 173″
• Silverton – 285″
• Snowmass – 277″
• Steamboat – 304″
• Sunlight – 153″
• Telluride – 223″
• Vail – 324″
• Winter Park – 384″
• Wolf Creek – 228″