Aspen, CO – Aspen Mountain will open this weekend, 12 days earlier than the ski area’s originally scheduled opening on Thanksgiving Day. Three lifts, more than 3,200 feet of vertical and more than 215 acres of terrain will greet skiers and snowboarders on opening day tomorrow.

“We are thrilled to be opening early and getting out on the hill,” said Rich Burkley, vice president mountain operations, Aspen Skiing Company. “This is the best mid-November skiing we have had in years,” he quipped.

All season passes will be valid as they would be in the regular season. Lift tickets are $79 a day for adults, $51 for children, and $73 for youth and seniors. A ticket is just $55 for any current season passholder from any other ski resort.

The Silver Queen Gondola, Ajax Express and Gentleman’s Ridge chairs will be open as will the Sundeck and Ajax Tavern. Ajax Tavern will be offering $2 beers and $6 glasses of wine in honor of the early opening. Also, parking is free in Aspen on Saturdays in November.

Aspen Mountain and Snowmass will be open daily for the season on Saturday, November 23, five days before the scheduled opening. Lifts hours are from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Thanksgiving weekend in Aspen will be packed with events including the Thanksjibbing rail jam at Snowmass Base Village on Friday, Nov. 29 and the first Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert of the season featuring Elephant Revival on Saturday, Nov. 30 at the base of Aspen Mountain.