With an average depth of 3 feet on its upper slopes, Aspen Mountain will reopen to skiers and snowboarders this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There will be at least seven runs and 45 acres of mostly intermediate snow-covered terrain open, the Aspen Skiing. Co announced Monday. It is possible that even more terrain could reopen, one official said.

“It’s your typical early summer conditions,” quipped Rich Burkley, vice president mountain operations, in a press release. “Better than a glacier, but not as good as a powder day. It will certainly be fun and is the perfect excuse for having a beer or two at the Sundeck."

Skiing and riding will be allowed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., served by the Ajax Express chairlift. The Silver Queen Gondola, which was scheduled to open for summer this week anyway, will upload and download passengers to and from Aspen Mountain's 11,212-foot summit from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Sundeck restaurant will be open serving barbecue lunch and beverages on the outdoor deck.

Although only for a few hours for a few days, Aspen Mountain will be the only ski resort open in Colorado. Arapahoe Basin, where skiers and boarders had been showing up in shorts, closed for the season Sunday.

“We have the unique opportunity to offer skiing and riding as we open for our summer season, and we thought it would be a great way to have some fun and once again thank the community for all their support,” said SkiCo President and CEO Mike Kaplan.

Premiere passholders need to visit the lift-ticket kiosks in Gondola Plaza between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to acquire new passes due to changes made to SkiCo's scanning technology. The kiosks open on Thursday.

June skiing and riding is free for premier, silver and 6-and-under passholders. All other Aspen/Snowmass passholders must pay a discounted rate of $19 for adults, $17 for youth and seniors and $12 for children. Adult single day tickets are $29 per day, youth and seniors must pay $26 and children’s tickets are $18.
Regular summer rates will be in effect for foot passengers.

Aspen Mountain's lower half is mostly green with a few patches of white. Top-to-bottom skiing would be an impossibility but local skiers who have skinned up the mountain say the skiing up top is good but slushy.
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