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Minnesota

30 October 2026 · Minnesota

passed Oct 18 earliest on record2022-23
11days Nov 10 median of 5 seasons2025-26
21days Nov 20 latest on record2021-22

Andes Tower Hills opened first last season, a day ahead of Wild Mountain and Trollhaugen.

First open has gone to Wild Mountain and Andes Tower Hills twice each and Trollhaugen once; one of the five winters on record is too loosely dated to call. No resort has announced a date for the coming winter.

Seasons on record
5
Guns can first run
Oct 28
Normal snowmaking hrs
337
Resorts tracked
19
Wild Mountain open on a thin strip of man-made snow at its preseason opening, low sun behind the hill, a few riders on the surface lift and grass showing at the edges.
Wild Mountain’s preseason opening, November 2025.

When the guns can run

Snow guns need a wet-bulb temperature under 28°F. The Twin Cities average does not get there until 20 November, but the first workable window normally arrives about three weeks earlier, on 28 October. Resorts open on those early cold snaps rather than on the average.

60° 45° 30° 15° FIRST WORKABLE WINDOW Oct 9 normally Oct 28 Nov 20 COLD ENOUGH TO MAKE SNOW Average crosses 28° · Nov 20 Today · Oct 30 Wild Mountain Most metro resorts Last resorts open Aug 23 Oct 1 Nov 1 Dec 1 Jan 1 60° 45° 30° 15° FIRST WORKABLE WINDOW Oct 9 normally Oct 28 Nov 20 COLD ENOUGH TO MAKE SNOW Average crosses 28° · Nov 20 Today · Oct 30 Wild Mountain Most metro resorts Last resorts open Aug 23 Oct 1 Nov 1 Dec 1 Jan 1
Mean wet-bulb, Twin Cities, 1995–2025 28°F snowmaking threshold Cold enough to make snow

The next two weeks

1 of 19 resorts get a night cold enough to make snow, Giants Ridge first on Fri 30 Oct.

Metro

33.8°

Coldest wet bulb the 16-day forecast reaches at Bloomington.

Coldest hour
Sat 14 Nov, 11pm
Air temperature then
37.1°
Humidity then
79%
Hours under 28°
0
First window
—
Normal Oct–Nov hours
292

Duluth

27.9°

Coldest wet bulb the 16-day forecast reaches at Spirit Mountain.

Coldest hour
Fri 30 Oct, 8am
Air temperature then
30.9°
Humidity then
80%
Hours under 28°
1
First window
Fri 30 Oct, 8am
Normal Oct–Nov hours
410

North Shore

29.1°

Coldest wet bulb the 16-day forecast reaches at Lutsen.

Coldest hour
Fri 30 Oct, 8am
Air temperature then
31.3°
Humidity then
86%
Hours under 28°
0
First window
—
Normal Oct–Nov hours
386

Wet-bulb forecast from Open-Meteo, updated twice a day and last pulled 30 October. Guns can run under 28°.

Every resort we track

Sorted by how soon you can expect to be on it. Snowmaking hours are the hours under 28° a resort normally gets across October and November.

Click any resort to see its past opening dates.

Projected openings, 2026–27
ResortWhereProjected DaysSnowmaking hrsTypical opening Link
Twin Cities
Wild Mountain Taylors Falls Nov 10model 11 33757–564 Nov 10Oct 18 – Nov 20 See record
Trollhaugen Dresser Nov 10model 11 33456–562 Nov 10Oct 19 – Nov 27 See record
Afton Alps Afton Nov 29model 30 30332–555 Nov 29Nov 18 – Dec 4 See record
Buck Hill Burnsville Nov 29model 30 30143–553 Nov 29Nov 22 – Dec 1 See record
Welch Village Welch Nov 30model 31 29634–552 Nov 30Nov 25 – Dec 4 See record
Hyland Hills Bloomington Dec 1model 32 29233–553 Dec 1Nov 22 – Dec 4 See record
Elm Creek Maple Grove Dec 16model 47 31645–558 Dec 16Dec 10 – Dec 19 See record
Greater Minnesota
Andes Tower Hills Kensington Nov 11model 12 399108–659 Nov 11Oct 18 – Nov 23 See record
Buena Vista Bemidji Nov 20climate 21 458124–812 —no record yet See record
Detroit Mountain Detroit Lakes Nov 22climate 23 434113–714 —no record yet See record
Mount Ski Gull Nisswa Nov 23climate 24 405106–705 —no record yet See record
Spirit Mountain Duluth Nov 26model 27 410119–741 Nov 26Nov 25 – Nov 30 See record
Powder Ridge Kimball Nov 27climate 28 356104–572 —no record yet See record
Chester Bowl Duluth Nov 27climate 28 34249–609 —no record yet See record
Giants Ridge Biwabik Nov 29model 30 454109–839 Nov 29Nov 24 – Dec 2 See record
Mount Kato Mankato Nov 30climate 31 30880–549 —no record yet See record
Steeplechase Mazeppa Nov 30climate 31 30251–547 —no record yet See record
Lutsen Mountains Lutsen Dec 6model 37 38697–714 Dec 6Nov 28 – Dec 10 See record
Coffee Mill Wabasha Dec 13model 44 26611–540 Dec 13Dec 7 – Jan 14 See record