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  • Winter Park Resort
  • Winter Park Resort

WINTER PARK, Colo. — Winter Park Resort will open Saturday, 11 days earlier than previously planned and the earliest first day in its 80-year history.

With more than 40 inches of natural snow falling this month and amplified snowmaking systems, the resort was able to push up its opener from Nov. 13.

Snowmaking only began last week, but this week’s strong storms helped make for an early opening.

The first chair is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the Arrow Lift.

“Mother Nature brought the snow to Winter Park especially early this year, so we are taking advantage of the conditions and are excited to open the mountain more than a week earlier than expected,” marketing director Liz Agostin said.

On Nov. 16, Winter Park will mark eight decades as the state’s oldest continuously operated resort by offering $40 lift tickets (minimum two tickets) that will be good only for that day.

Winter Park will become the fourth resort to open earlier than planned this weekend, bringing the number of openings in the state to seven.

RELATED: When Colorado ski resorts plan to open for the season

Wolf Creek Ski Area will open Thursday. It was the first in North America to open last year, on Oct. 13.

Eldora Mountain Resort will open Friday, two weeks ahead of schedule, one week ahead of last year and three weeks before its historic average opening day of Nov. 22.

It will be the earliest Eldora has opened in 22 years.

And Monarch Mountain will open Friday through Sunday this week, its earliest opening since 1969.

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area was the first in North America to open, on Oct. 11, beating Keystone Resort, which opened on Oct. 12. It was Keystone’s earliest opening in 20 years.

Loveland Ski Area opened last week.