The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler. In the spirit of “winter is coming” (sorry summer peeps!) here is a roundup of what’s new at Breckenridge and local ski resorts for this season.

Breckenridge Ski Resort

After many years of expansion and improvements, Breckenridge is having a quiet year. We found just a couple of small changes to the resort. Improved snowmaking on Peak 9 is in the offing with the upgrade of 50 new high-efficiency snow guns to make snow more quickly, using less energy. Also new is Breck Guides: A New Way to Experience Breck. This year you can hook up with a guide who treats Breck like their own subject matter and visitors like locals. Get a behind the scenes look at how patrollers work to manage terrain and where to find the best snow based on conditions. Tap into years of experience offered by Breck’s guides and learn more about the mountain itself.

Arapahoe Basin

A-Basin is the contender (again) for best improvement and once again it is all about the Beavers expansion. If you had a chance to check it out last season, you know that this is truly an impressive terrain expansion and the skiing is awesome. You also know that the Beavers are hike back terrain. No longer! This year A-Basin will open the Beavers Lift allowing lift access back to the top of the mountain. The Beavers Lift will open access to a variety of blue and black runs.

Copper Mountain

Copper Mountain has been busy too! Copper has been making some impressive improvements to the mountain, but the big news from this summer has nothing to do with on-mountain improvements. Welcome the IKON Pass, a serious contender that will give Vail’s Epic Pass a run for its money. Obviously, Copper is on this pass but so are 35 other ski areas across North America. Other ski resorts on the IKON pass include Jackson Hole, Winter Park, Squaw Valley, Mammoth Mountain, Aspen/Snowmass, Taos, Alta, Snowbird… the list goes on. With passes starting at $699, this could make your ski pass decision harder (or easier).

In addition to the new ski pass inclusion, the lifts at Burning Stones Plaza are getting a major upgrade. Both the American Flyer and the American Eagle lifts have been replaced and improved. The new American Flyer will be a high-speed, 6-pack lift with bubble enclosures. More interesting is the new American Eagle, which will be a high-speed lift that will include both 6-person chairs and 8-person gondola cabins. Interesting, right?

Keystone Ski Resort

There is not too much going on improvement-wise at Keystone this year. Like Breckenridge, Keystone has improved its snowmaking capabilities in the offseason. These improvements will allow for more terrain to open quicker and earlier in the season. The resort installed new snowmaking pipe on Paymaster and upgraded key snowmaking components, which will provide greater efficiency and coverage during snowmaking.

Loveland Ski Resort

While not technically in Summit County, Loveland is about as close as it gets without being in the County. If you are not familiar with Loveland, it is the ski area that is right above the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 and easy to get to from anywhere in the Summit. Loveland is a fun, family ski area with great terrain for all levels. This year Loveland is replacing Lift 1 with a high-speed quad lift that will get you to the top of the mountain faster and in comfort and style. If you are looking for something a little different, hop over Loveland Pass and give Loveland Ski Resort a go.