Skip to content
Pursuits
Travel

Forget Fireworks. Colorado Skiing Is Open for Fourth of July

A skier wearing shorts and a t-shirt rides the chair lift at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on May 25, 2019 in Dillon, Colorado.

A skier wearing shorts and a t-shirt rides the chair lift at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on May 25, 2019 in Dillon, Colorado.

Photographer: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Updated on

Skiing in the summer? Thanks to late season snow that’s still blanketing parts of the U.S. Rocky Mountains, you can skip the fireworks and instead hit the slopes this Fourth of July.

Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, about 40 miles outside of Vail, will be open for skiing during Independence Day for the first time since 2011, according to Peggy Hiller, vice president of operations. Snow bunnies can expect to see as many as six runs open, with blanket base currently at 37 inches (94 centimeters).