Vail’s season begins the Friday before Thanksgiving and runs till mid-April. During the early season (anything before mid-December), only a few parts of the mountain are open unless there’s been an unusual amount of early snow. The extensive snowmaking on the front side of Vail means you can count on most of it to be open. However, the Golden Peak area often hosts race training camps so some areas, especially the Golden Peak Race run, may be off-limits. Colorado winters can be fickle and the weather can change in a heartbeat, so consider skiing Vail in February and March. January is still in the coldest part of the high country winter, while February and March are generally the best months for snow. By the time April comes, longer days and warmer temperatures start taking their toll on the snow at Vail, making it slushy and sticky in the afternoon and icy in the morning after it’s had a chance to refreeze. Vail will start closing areas off, usually starting with the Back Bowls… and you want to make sure you get a chance to ski those!