Today In Stoke: Cookie comp and opening day at Beaver Creek for 30th anniversary season

Photo courtesy Beaver Creek

Ski patrollers taking test runs on Centennial Express, Monday November 22

​Might as well go ahead and make it a 5-day weekend: Beaver Creek is opening today with at least 426 acres of terrain and 11 lifts, not to mention the annual Beaver Creek Cookie Competition -- 2 p.m. near the ice rink in the Beaver Creek Village -- which will determine the winning recipe for this year's Cookie Time from among the five contenders (the resort's motto is "Not exactly roughing it," and they give away thousands of chocolate chip cookies every day at 3 p.m. to keep guests feeling pampered).

Beaver Creek will have its Centennial Express Lift (#6), Cinch Express Left (#8), Buckaroo Gondola; Drink of Water (#5); Bachelor Gulch Express (#16), and Strawberry Park Express (#12) lifts open, plus five surface lifts for beginner skiers.

It's also opening day today at Crested Butte, Monarch, and Steamboat, and Vail is opening up its Riva Bahn Express Lift (#6) and Gopher Hill Lift (#12) in Golden Peak; the Cascade Village Lift (#20) and the Sourdough Express Lift (#14), and China Bowl and Tea Cup Bowl, served by the Orient Express Lift (#21) and Tea Cup Express Lift (#36).

"We always have a lot to be thankful for in Vail, but having virtually the entire front side plus Sun Up, China and Tea Cup bowls and 2,700 acres of terrain open before Thanksgiving provides us with an overabundance of reasons to give thanks this year," reports Vail Mountain COO Chris Jarnot.

And, if you need even more to be thankful for, Purgatory, Snowmass, Telluride, and Ski Cooper open tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!