Colorado Ski Country USA member ski areas are ready to ring in the holidays with excellent conditions and family-friendly activities and events.
If you plan on visiting ski country this holiday season you can enjoy holiday ice skating, festive dining, fireworks, torchlight parades, the chance to ski with Santa and more.
Here is what what ski areas in Colorado are offering:
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Arapahoe Basin will hosty a variety of family-friendly holiday activities starting with a visit from Santa and an elf on Monday, December 24. Santa will bring candy and holiday cheer. The Summit County Choral Society will be caroling in the base area from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. For more information, click here.
Aspen Snowmass
Aspen Snowmass will hold a variety events throughout December. You can enjoy the 12 Days of Aspen from December 20 until the 31 with daily activities and free events. Head to Snomass Village for the tree-lighting ceremony or take photos with Santa at the Limelight Hotel.
During Ullr Nights, Elk Camp at Snowmass is transformed into a nighttime winter wonderland for the whole family. Take an evening gondola ride up to Elk Camp for family fun including tubing, the Breathtaker Alpine Coaster, snowbiking, snowshoe tours, live music, an ice bar, a bonfire, s'mores and delicious food.
The Collective will also be hosting a Menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah December 22–30. Guests can visit with Santa Claus in the days leading up to Christmas at Santa's Village in the Collective Lounge at Snowmass Base Village on December 21. For more information, click here.
Cooper
On Christmas Eve, Cooper will host Santa for family-friendly opportunities to ski with Santa and take photos. On New Year’s Eve, Cooper will host live music and a torchlight parade. For more information, click here.
Copper Mountain
Spread the holiday cheer on December 24 with hot cocoa, photo ops with Betty the Yeti and her friends, an Ugly Sweater contest and a torchlight parade down the mountain followed by fireworks over the halfpipe in Center Village.
Guests can bid a fond farewell to 2019 on December 31 and celebrate a magical New Year in the mountains with family and friends with a torchlight parade and fireworks followed by ringing in 2020 at one of Copper’s dining establishments. For more information, click here.
Granby Ranch
Granby Ranch will celebrate the holidays with several days of family-friendly activities. Guests will have the chance to Ski with Santa before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, guests can enjoy free hot chocolate, a Grand Choral performance around the fire pit and a twilight reading of The Night Before Christmas. Christmas Day will bring a holiday buffet to Granby Ranch.
Join Granby Ranch on December 31 for the family Dance Party and catch the fireworks, too. Granby Ranch have a DJ, free photo booth, face painters and balloon artists entertaining everyone all night long. For more information, click here.
Howelsen Hill
Howelsen will host Ski Free Sundays during the holiday period and throughout the entire season. Ski Free Sundays give holiday visitors a fun and affordable family-friendly skiing opportunity. For more information, click here.
Kendall Mountain
Kendall Mountain will be open every day Dec. 20 - Jan. 1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including night skiing on Dec. 22. On Christmas Day, kids can ski with Santa and his elves. Kendall Mountain will have free hot cocoa and candy canes in the base area. Kendall will offer free skiing on Sunday December 29. For more information, click here.
Loveland Ski Area
Every Christmas Santa takes time out of his busy schedule to ski at Loveland Ski Area. This year is no different as Santa will make appearances at Loveland on December 24 and 25. Not only will he be cruising the slopes, he’ll also visit the Ski & Ride School and Children’s Center to hand out candy to young ones and pose for photos. For more information, click here.
Monarch Mountain
Monarch Mountain’s Christmas Eve festivities will include a visit from Santa Claus, who will ski Monarch all day. Santa will hand out candy canes and take pictures with guests, who can also try to keep up with him on skis or a snowboard.
For New Year’s Eve, Monarch will celebrate with the annual torchlight parade and fireworks show. The event will also feature live music, food, drinks and activities for the kids. For more information, click here.
Powderhorn Resort
On New Year’s Eve, Powderhorn will host its annual fireworks show along with a terrain park event, live music, food and drink specials. For more information, click here.
Purgatory Resort
Purgatory Resort will offer a variety of holiday activities, including a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus on Dec. 21, free wreath-making classes and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Guests will also be able to experience an alpenglow snowshoe tour and adults can enjoy special events with craft beer, wine & spirits tastings.
On Dec. 31, guests can ring in the New Year with fireworks and a torchlight parade, a special night rail jam, a 5-course gourmet dinner with wine pairings via Snowcat ride to the Powderhouse, followed by a party to celebrate the New Year. For more information, click here.
Silverton Mountain
Silverton will be open for guests who wish to heli ski over the holidays. Silverton also offers groups the opportunity to rent the mountain for the day, a great option for company holiday parties, charity fundraisers and special events. For more information, click here.
Steamboat Resort
Steamboat Resort will ring in the holidays on Dec. 22 with the Holiday Festival in Gondola Square, featuring Santa on horseback riding down the slopes, cookie decorating and holiday treats and the stocking scramble followed by a free concert, a torchlight parade and fireworks.
Steamboat will also host a New Year’s Eve torchlight parade and fireworks as the Steamboat Snowsports School make their way down the mountain by torchlight. After the parade, a dazzling fireworks display will illuminate the sky. The family-friendly Korbel New Year’s Eve Party at the top of the Gondola in Thunderhead Lodge will feature DJ entertainment, food and a and cash bar. For more information, click here.
Sunlight Mountain Resort
On December 14, Sunlight will host demo days plus skiing with Santa where you can ride down the slopes with Santa himself and take pictures with Jolly Saint Nick. For more information, click here.
Telluride Ski Resort
Telluride will keep the holiday spirit alive with several family-friendly events. On Dec. 15, the Holiday Prelude will take over Mountain Village, complete with free ice skating, rides on the Polar Express to the North Pole, Santa’s Village, live Reindeer, a tree lighting and caroling.
Telluride’s Torchlight Parades will light up the mountainside on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. For more information, click here.
Winter Park Resort
Enjoy spectacular slopeside fireworks at the free Winter Park Family Fest on December 14. Gather around the bonfire at the base for front row views of the firework display following the sunset. Satisfy your sweet tooth at the s'mores bar, enter to win great giveaways, & dance to the music with our DJ.
Join Winter Park for a beloved holiday tradition, the Torchlight Parade on December 24. Get there early to grab a warm drink and find a spot around the blazing bonfire at the base. Once the sun goes down, the mountain will glow with hundreds of flares, spectacular fireworks and Santa will make an appearance. For more information, click here.
Wolf Creek Ski Area
Wolf Creek will host a holiday visit from Santa Claus on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Santa will spread holiday cheer around the mountain by handing out candy canes while letting the reindeer rest. Wolf Creek Upper Lodge chefs will bake festive Cornish Game Hens with traditional mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and a choice of dessert. The Pathfinder bar will also offer festive drink specials. For more information, click here.
