Powderhorn opens for season; snowmobile tours begin at Grand Mesa Lodge

Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

Winter finally arrived on Grand Mesa in the first week of December after a slow and unusually warm November, bringing the total to nearly 20 inches of snow and allowing Powderhorn Mountain Resort to officially open the 2025-26 season on Dec. 5.

The same storm created enough coverage for Grand Mesa Lodge to begin booking snowmobile tours, triggering the first major wave of winter activity on the flat-top mountain and giving a needed boost to businesses that depend heavily on early-season momentum.

Forecasters had been calling for a gradual shift toward colder temperatures, but the mesa remained bare through most of late fall, leaving visitors unsure when winter recreation would begin. The latest storm changed the outlook quickly and helped restore confidence among skiers, snowmobilers and out-of-town guests now watching conditions closely.

Early-season conditions still developing

Grand Mesa Lodge owner Spencer Christensen said snow depth at the lodge on Dec. 4 measured “just a little under 20 inches, about 18 or so inches,” which places Grand Mesa behind typical early-December levels.

“For December 4, we are definitely behind where we normally are,” he said. “I think that normally at this time we would have about 20 or 30 percent more snow on the ground.”

Christensen cautioned readers not to assume a slow start means a weak winter.

“All winters are different,” he said. “Sometimes you get a huge storm early, and then January and February are low snowfall. Sometimes the winter starts slow, and January is huge. Sometimes March and April end up being heavy years.”

Christensen said the inconsistent start affects customer behavior more than the actual conditions.

“When the season starts slow, people wait,” he said. “They look at the snow reports and say, ‘I will book later.’ As soon as a big storm hits, the phones go off the hook.”

A storm, a viral post and instant bookings

Grand Mesa Lodge has become one of the region’s most watched sources for real-time winter updates. Its Facebook page, which has roughly 40,000 followers and an annual reach of 4 million to 6 million views, plays a major role in how quickly bookings rise after a storm.

“When I post after a storm, it goes viral,” the owner said. “Hundreds of thousands of people see it. Our phones ring, not just from locals, but from out of state visitors, too.”

Winter updates, especially photos showing snow depth and trail conditions, remain the most popular content the lodge produces. Many followers check the page particularly because Grand Mesa weather can differ dramatically from conditions in the Grand Valley.

Powderhorn’s opening in context

Powderhorn’s Dec. 5 opening fits well within the resort’s historical range, which has shifted somewhat over the past decade, depending on storms, temperatures and snow-making capacity.

In stronger snow years, Powderhorn has opened as early as Dec. 3, including in 2020 when cold weather and early storms created excellent early-season coverage. 

The resort also opened on Dec. 4 in 2021 and 2022.

In leaner years, colder weather arrived later, and storms were slower to build. Powderhorn opened on Dec. 13 in 2018 and 2019, dates that reflected slower early accumulation and limited terrain at the time.

One of the latest openings in recent history came in 2017, when warm temperatures delayed operations until Dec. 23. These examples show why this year’s Dec. 5 opening, while slightly later than hoped, remains consistent with the resort’s long pattern of variability.

Lodge expands winter offerings

With the season under way, Grand Mesa Lodge is entering one of its busiest periods of the year.

The property offers year-round cabins and restaurant service, but winter brings additional activity centered around snowmobiling, guided snowmobile rides, rentals and an advanced-skills clinic designed to help riders learn or improve mountain-sled techniques.

The clinics typically run from mid-December through the end of March, and many participants organize small groups of friends who want to learn together. If only one person signs up, the lodge often advertises the opening to round out a group.

The lodge recently completed a remodel that converted one of its cabins into a hot tub and sauna suite, which is expected to be fully operational this week. The owner said guests often pair a morning tour with lunch. Then, they can return for time in the hot tub or sauna before calling it a night.

The lodge’s main building also offers a small store and gift shop, a place to warm up by the fire and free WiFi for visitors stopping in after cross-country skiing or winter hiking. New this winter are helmets with Bluetooth speakers that allow riders to listen to music while out on the trails, a feature the owner expects will be popular for guided rides.