SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — Snow blanketed Colorado's high country Tuesday, giving ski enthusiasts their first taste of winter.
The fresh dusting was enough to draw visitors like Dillon resident Dustin Meisburger to Arapahoe Basin, where he hiked up to enjoy the scenery after finishing work for the day.
"Gets me really excited for the ski season to start," he told Denver7.
The snowfall marked the first significant mountain accumulation of the season.
"The snowier we get, the closer to opening day we get," said Shayna Silverman, communications manager for Arapahoe Basin.
Behind the scenes, ski areas are ramping up preparations for the upcoming season. According to Silverman, lift maintenance crews are conducting safety checks while guest services is preparing the ticket windows.
However, Silverman said snow guns haven't been fired up yet because the area hasn't seen the specific weather requirements needed for snowmaking.
"We need really specific conditions and temperatures to get our snow guns up and running," Silverman said. "So while today might be perfect conditions for Mother Nature, it's not quite ready for snowmaking season."
According to Silverman, snowmaking requires dry, cold air conditions that Tuesday's snowfall didn't provide.
"When the snow guns turn on, they don't really turn off until we open. So once you see that going, you know the season is approaching," Silverman said.
For winter enthusiasts like Meisburger, the early snowfall provides plenty of reason for optimism about the coming season.
"Everyone up here's excited for winter now," Meisburger said.
