Epic and Ikon have both now dropped their opening dates, and we wanted to put it all in one place. This is the moment your brain flips into full gear: the quiet, the waiting, the boot fitting, the wax, the group chat that's been dead since April lighting back up all at once. 

It's time to GO. That hum of anticipation follows you into every plan you make this fall. And for the '90s kids out there, I bet your brain is already picturing a pixelated yeti chasing you down a mountain in "SkiFree." 

Epic Pass, North America

Per Vail Resorts' official announcement 

• As soon as possible in October: Keystone Resort, Colorado; Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
• Nov. 6: Breckenridge, Colorado
• Nov. 13: Vail Mountain, Colorado
• Nov. 20: Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia; Park City Mountain, Utah; Heavenly, California; Northstar, California
• Nov. 25: Beaver Creek, Colorado; Crested Butte, Colorado
• Dec. 4: Kirkwood, California; Stevens Pass, Washington

A handful of Vail's European resorts are projected to open even earlier: Hintertux, Austria (Sept. 26), Sölden, Austria (Oct. 2), and Kitzsteinhorn Maiskogel-Kaprun, Austria (Oct. 10). Those dates aren't locked yet.

Ikon Pass, North America

Per Ikon Pass's own opening/closing dates page

• Nov. 6: Copper Mountain, Colorado
• Nov. 13: Mammoth Mountain, California; Eldora Mountain Resort, Colorado
• Nov. 15: Sunday River, Maine
• Nov. 18: Stratton, Vermont
• Nov. 20: Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah; Alta Ski Area, Utah; Sugarloaf, Maine
• Nov. 21: Steamboat, Colorado; Sugarbush, Vermont; Sun Peaks Resort, British Columbia; Granite Peak, Wisconsin; Snowriver Mountain Resort, Michigan; Lutsen Mountains, Minnesota
• Nov. 25: Palisades Tahoe, California; Snowshoe, West Virginia; Big Sky Mountain Resort, Montana
• Nov. 26: Tremblant, Quebec; Aspen Mountain, Colorado; Snowmass, Colorado; Sun Valley, Idaho; Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
• Nov. 27: Crystal Mountain, Washington; Schweitzer, Idaho; Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming; Snowbasin, Utah; Snowbird, Utah; SilverStar Mountain, British Columbia
• Nov. 28: Alyeska Resort, Alaska
• Dec. 4: Mount Bachelor, Oregon; Panorama, British Columbia
• Dec. 5: Deer Valley, Utah; Le Massif de Charlevoix, Quebec; Revelstoke, British Columbia
• Dec. 11: The Highlands, Michigan; Pico, Vermont
• Dec. 12: Aspen Highlands, Colorado; Buttermilk, Colorado; RED Mountain, British Columbia
• Dec. 19: June Mountain, California

Ikon Pass, Europe 

• Oct. 17: St. Moritz–Diavolezza, Switzerland
• Oct. 24: Valle d'Aosta–Cervino Ski Paradise, Italy
• Nov. 1: Zermatt, Switzerland
• Nov. 21: St. Moritz–Corvatsch, Switzerland
• Nov. 26: Ischgl, Austria
• Nov. 28: Dolomiti Superski, Italy; Kitzbühel, Austria; Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley, France, and more
• Dec. 4: Grandvalira Resorts Andorra
• Dec. 5: Valle d'Aosta – Skyway Monte Bianco, Italy
• Dec. 19: Megève Ski Area, France

(MORE: Ikon Pass reveals ski resort opening dates for 2026-27 season)

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Dates are still weather-dependent, so hold them loosely. Book the days off now, before everyone else's calendar catches up. That's the real head start.

weather.com Content Development Manager Joy Kigin chases stories where weather, science and culture meet everyday life, the kind that spark conversations and, now and then, a smile.