Keystone Resort Opening Saturday

(CBS4) - Keystone Resort is opening Saturday. It hasn't opened in October since 2001.

"Keystone will open Saturday, October 12 for our earliest opening in over 20 years!" resort officials announced on Facebook on Friday. "Thanks to our #KeyPeople who helped upgrade our snowmaking system this summer, we're positioned to be the first ski resort in North America to open for the 19-20 season! Lifts will start turning as early as possible, so stay tuned for details."

Arapahoe Basin and Keystone Resort both fired up their snow guns early last week -- hoping to be the first Colorado ski resort to open for the season.

On Friday, Arapahoe Basin said they would be opening "soon" -- and then pulled a fast one and opened for two horus from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

"The snowmaking crew is raging, totally capitalizing on this tremendous weather," A-Basin officials wrote on their website Friday. A-Basin has not announced this year's opening date and it won't be announced until shortly before it happens, but the Basin always aims for mid-October.

Last year, A-Basin was the first resort to open in Colorado -- on Oct. 19 -- and didn't close for the season until July 4. The last time the resort was able to stay open until Independence Day was back in 2011.

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Loveland began making snow last week and sent Parker the Snow Dog out to check the conditions on Thursday.

However, the resort said Friday it will not be ready to open this weekend.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)