Snowmass ski area is scheduled to open Nov. 26, 2026, which is Thanksgiving, and run through April 11, 2027, conditions permitting, according to the Aspen Times. Snowmass Tourism's Fall 2026 seasonal closures list shows the first kitchens coming back on Friday, Nov. 20. Others trickle in through the weekend before the holiday, and the last holdouts don't return until Dec. 10.
Read the list day by day and the reopening runs about three weeks, with the lifts starting six days in and two full weeks before the last kitchen reopens. Planning around Nov. 26 alone means missing the quiet first week of service and arriving too early for the places that hold out into December.
The Short List That Never Closed
A handful of spots in Snowmass stay open the whole off-season. In the Mall, The Tavern and Zane's Tavern are listed as open through the fall. The Daly Diner stays open all season, and so does Taster's, which closes only on Thanksgiving Day. Since Thanksgiving is opening day this year, the one day Taster's closes is the day the lifts start.
For groceries and errands, the Snowmass Center is open throughout. Clark's Groceries, Ajax Supply, Sundance Liquor & Gifts and The Snowmass Dispensary are all listed as open all season. In the Mall, Daly Bottle & Grain Fine Food, Guapodog and Challenge Aspen stay open, and Christy Sports runs reduced hours. In Base Village, TAC Fitness at One Snowmass East is open all season, and Eye Pieces of Snowmass stays open with possibly shorter hours.
Snowmass Tourism adds that many businesses close Mondays and Tuesdays during the off-season and that hours can shift as reopening dates get close, so it suggests calling ahead.
The Quietest Stretch Is Early November
The village gets quieter as November begins. Viceroy's three dining rooms, Toro, Lift Line and Cafe V, all close Nov. 1. The Lounge at the Limelight closed Oct. 18, Rock Island Oyster Bar & Grill closes Oct. 19, Gorsuch Ski Cafe closes Oct. 24, and Après Deck, the former Stark's Alpine Grill and Viewline space, closes Oct. 25. So the first three weeks of November are the thinnest dining stretch of the fall, with fewer restaurants open than in October.
Two dates fall inside that lull. The first is Friday, Oct. 30, the purchase deadline for Aspen Snowmass's new Flex Pass. Per Aspen One's Sept. 9 announcement, the deadline applies to the Flex Pass specifically. Prices on all Aspen Snowmass passes already went up Sept. 19. The Flex Pass replaces the old Valley Pass and covers four to seven nonconsecutive days across all four mountains with no blackout dates. Its April launch price started at $679, with increases at each deadline.
The second is Sunday, Nov. 15, the completion date the Town of Snowmass Village set for the Brush Creek Road and Owl Creek Road roundabout. The Town's September notice closed Owl Creek Road to through traffic between Brush Creek Road and Chapel Curve through about Oct. 19, with Highline Road as the detour and lanes on Brush Creek Road shifted west around the work zone. Nov. 15 is a scheduled date, and the Town's news page is where updates will appear. If the schedule holds, the roundabout should be done five days before the first restaurants reopen.
Several shops reopen briefly or early during the lull. Alux Spalon in Base Village closes Nov. 2 and reopens Nov. 9. Rock Island, JUS Snowmass and the Gorsuch store in the Mall are all listed as returning in mid-November.
Six Days Before the Lifts
This is when the village starts filling back in. Here's the reopening sequence from the Snowmass Tourism list for the days before opening day:
- Friday, Nov. 20: Kenichi Snowmass, Grub Thai and Smash & Dash Burger
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Gorsuch Ski Cafe
- Monday, Nov. 23: Toro, Lift Line and Cafe V at the Viceroy, plus Après Deck in the Mall, One Vibe, Snowmass T-Shirt Co and Snowmass Trading Company
- Wednesday, Nov. 25: The Lounge at the Limelight and both Four Mountain Sports locations in the Mall
In this window, sushi at Kenichi or a bowl at Grub Thai comes before the holiday crowds arrive. Viceroy's three restaurants all reopen on a Monday, the same weekday many Snowmass businesses close in the off-season, so that Monday works as a soft reopening for Base Village.
Thanksgiving Is Opening Day
The busiest reopening date is Nov. 26, the day the lifts start. On the list for that day are Aurum Food & Wine, Crepe Therapy Cafe and Base Camp Bar and Grille in Base Village, plus The Stew Pot and New Belgium Ranger Station in the Mall. Four Mountain Kids and the Four Mountain Sports rental and retail shops in Base Village reopen the same day, along with Incline Sports and Snowmass Sports in the Mall. Venga Venga and Sunglass Panache follow on Friday, Nov. 27.
The rebuilt Ullrhof is the big change on the mountain. The mid-mountain restaurant came down for a complete rebuild starting in summer 2025, and per Snowmass Tourism's winter announcement, it returns for 2026-27 with seating for more than 600 people as Aspen Snowmass's first fully electric restaurant. Aspen Snowmass places it at the base of the Big Burn lift and describes a mountain-modern building with a new bar and lounge level. The all-day menu covers burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes. The Ullrhof dining page lists a November 2026 reopening and hasn't announced a specific day, so whether it serves on the first day of lifts is still open.
Snowmass Tourism says the Ullrhof is part of a multiyear plan to add restaurant seating across the mountain.
The Ones That Wait for December
Some places don't come back until after opening day. The Edge at the Timberline reopens Tuesday, Dec. 1, the same season the Timberline Condominiums finish the last stage of a $25 million multiyear renovation that included new siding, refreshed common areas and upgraded guest amenities. Ro + Fern in Base Village reopens Monday, Dec. 7.
The Stonebridge Inn also returns in December after a $15.7 million renovation of its 93 rooms. The hotel opened shortly after Snowmass welcomed its first guests in 1967 and is managed by CoralTree Hospitality. Heather's, the restaurant inside the Stonebridge, has no closing or reopening date on the Snowmass Tourism list. The same goes for Il Poggio, Snacfood and Snowmass Lanes, so check with each one directly.
Pinecreek Cookhouse is the last restaurant on the list to reopen, on Thursday, Dec. 10. That's also the first day of the 75th Wintersköl, which runs Dec. 10 through 13 and includes a holiday market in Snowmass Village. To mark Wintersköl's 75th year, Aspen Snowmass's 80th and Colorado's 150th, this year's festival adds a drone show over Aspen Mountain, according to the Aspen Chamber's event page and Snowmass Tourism. On that weekend, Snowmass Tourism's list shows the restaurants with posted reopening dates all back in service.
Evenings at The Collective
The Collective Snowmass in Base Village covers some of the evenings while restaurants are closed. Its winter 2026-27 lineup adds Collective Conversations, a series where community members present on topics they care about, and Community Lunch & Learn workshops at midday. A new Sunday Social Club rotates game nights and craft workshops. Toddler Time is back on Sunday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon in the Game Lounge, free for kids under 5. Karaoke with DJ Tenza, Chess Club, Bingo Nights, Mahjong Nights, ACES Wild Perspectives and On the Rise Open Mics continue through the season. Slope & Hatch, the café at The Collective, closed Sept. 28 and has no posted reopening date.
If you're working out how this reopening schedule fits your own winter in Snowmass, whether that's preparing a home for season guests or deciding when to open the house, Brittanie Rockhill can walk through the timing with you. Schedule a confidential consultation.
