Riding the Ballhooter lift up Cheat Mountain

Skiing and riding · Winter

Winter Opening Day

Name: Winter Opening Day
Start: 2026-11-25
End: 2026-11-25
Location: Snowshoe Mountain Resort

Nov 25, 2026

Rope drop, fresh corduroy, and first-chair bragging rights. Opening Day lands the Wednesday before Thanksgiving most years, with the Turkey Shoot and Turkey Trek 5k rounding out the holiday weekend. Snow depends on the weather, but the Village party does not.

Next dates

Nov 25, 2026

62 days away · Check in Nov 24, check out Nov 26 · Projected by the resort, weather permitting

2 of 7 homes open for those nights, live from our calendars

Stay for it Official page

What to book ahead

In the order they run out. Tickets and passes are sold by the organizer or the resort, never by us, so the links go straight to the source.

1
Lift tickets, ideally online
The resort sells them online. Buying ahead saves the ticket window on a holiday or race weekend.
Official page
2
Rentals and lessons
Reserve lessons and rentals ahead on a holiday weekend rather than walking up.
First-timers guide
3
Your home
Event weekends are the ones that book out first. Pick the home, set the nights, and book direct.
Check the homes
4
A look at the mountain report before you leave
Snow, lifts open, and the road. It is on this site, live.
Mountain report

A lift ticket held up at the Ballhooter base with riders loading behind it

Dates by year

From the resort's published schedules. Years not listed have not been announced; we never guess a date.

2026
Nov 25
Projected by the resort, weather permitting
Stay for it
2025
Nov 26
past
2024
Nov 27
past
2023
Nov 22
past

From the Journal

September 7, 2023

Ready, Set, Snow!: Tips to Ensure a Successful Snow Season

Solitude and Snowbird JUST experienced their first snowfall of the year this past Labor Day, September 4, 2023! As the temperature begins to drop and snowflakes start to fall, it's...