Vail Resorts extended the ski and ride season for several slopes prior to what is expected to be a massive snowstorm during upcoming days.
Vail, Beaver Creek and Keystone will offer skiing into mid-April with storms due in Tuesday through Thursday is expected to drop between two and five feet of snow across the Rocky Mountains, OpenSnow.com reported.
Keystone and Beaver Creek will reap the benefit of the precipitation by staying until April 11 and Vail will stay open until April 18, and a Vail Resorts news release announced.
“We made the decision as a way to say thank you to our pass holders and guests for standing by us through this challenging season, following our safety protocols and helping to keep this season going,” Vail Resorts spokeswoman Lindsay Hogan said.
Heavy snow is expected across the state from a storm moving in Thursday and building strength through the weekend. Forecasters with the National Weather Service say the storm could pound the region with the equivalent of two inches of rainfall.
The exact track of the storm was uncertain Tuesday. Depending on how it arrives, the brunt of the snow could hit from Denver north or from Colorado Springs to points south.
The snow is welcome on the slopes because extension of the ski season would not be possible without inches of fresh powder, Hogan noted.
Not all resorts are planning a longer season. Breckenridge Ski Resort will stick with its May 31 closing date, and Crested Butte Mountain Resort was still planning to shut lifts down after April 4.
Mountain resorts have taken a beating over the past year as skiers stayed away amid the pandemic. Surveys showed one skier in three planned to sit out this season to avoid coronavirus.
This content was originally published here.