Colorado’s Wolf Creek ski area is opening this weekend, a full 20 days before the resort’s previous projection. If you can’t make it for opening day, there are plenty of other reasons to visit later in the season. Wolf Creek sees a whopping average annual snowfall of 430 inches, the most in Colorado. Plus, this winter, a new high-speed quad will make access to the 900-acre Alberta area even easier and will open up plenty of new sidecountry runs like the north-facing Lake Chutes. Motel SOCO, 25 miles away in Pagosa Springs, was recently renovated and the bar serves local craft beers on tap and house cocktails (rooms from $94).

If Wolf Creek is a bit too remote, these five resorts may be your best bet for an early season chair.