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Minnesota

15 October 2026 · Minnesota

3days Oct 18 earliest on record2022-23
26days Nov 10 median of 5 seasons2025-26
36days 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 15 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 15 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

No snowmaking weather in the next 16 days. The coldest any resort gets is Mount Ski Gull at 28.5°.

Metro

30.6°

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

Coldest hour
Sat 17 Oct, 6am
Air temperature then
32.6°
Humidity then
88%
Hours under 28°
0
First window
—
Normal Oct–Nov hours
292

Duluth

29.8°

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

Coldest hour
Sat 17 Oct, 5am
Air temperature then
31.9°
Humidity then
87%
Hours under 28°
0
First window
—
Normal Oct–Nov hours
410

North Shore

28.9°

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

Coldest hour
Sat 17 Oct, 5am
Air temperature then
31.8°
Humidity then
81%
Hours under 28°
0
First window
—
Normal Oct–Nov hours
386

Wet-bulb forecast from Open-Meteo, updated twice a day and last pulled 15 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 26 33757–564 Nov 10Oct 18 – Nov 20 See record
Trollhaugen Dresser Nov 10model 26 33456–562 Nov 10Oct 19 – Nov 27 See record
Afton Alps Afton Nov 29model 45 30332–555 Nov 29Nov 18 – Dec 4 See record
Buck Hill Burnsville Nov 29model 45 30143–553 Nov 29Nov 22 – Dec 1 See record
Welch Village Welch Nov 30model 46 29634–552 Nov 30Nov 25 – Dec 4 See record
Hyland Hills Bloomington Dec 1model 47 29233–553 Dec 1Nov 22 – Dec 4 See record
Elm Creek Maple Grove Dec 16model 62 31645–558 Dec 16Dec 10 – Dec 19 See record
Greater Minnesota
Andes Tower Hills Kensington Nov 11model 27 399108–659 Nov 11Oct 18 – Nov 23 See record
Buena Vista Bemidji Nov 20climate 36 458124–812 —no record yet See record
Detroit Mountain Detroit Lakes Nov 22climate 38 434113–714 —no record yet See record
Mount Ski Gull Nisswa Nov 23climate 39 405106–705 —no record yet See record
Spirit Mountain Duluth Nov 26model 42 410119–741 Nov 26Nov 25 – Nov 30 See record
Powder Ridge Kimball Nov 27climate 43 356104–572 —no record yet See record
Chester Bowl Duluth Nov 27climate 43 34249–609 —no record yet See record
Giants Ridge Biwabik Nov 29model 45 454109–839 Nov 29Nov 24 – Dec 2 See record
Mount Kato Mankato Nov 30climate 46 30880–549 —no record yet See record
Steeplechase Mazeppa Nov 30climate 46 30251–547 —no record yet See record
Lutsen Mountains Lutsen Dec 6model 52 38697–714 Dec 6Nov 28 – Dec 10 See record
Coffee Mill Wabasha Dec 13model 59 26611–540 Dec 13Dec 7 – Jan 14 See record