Arizona Snowbowl delays opening due to high temperatures

PHOENIX — Arizonans looking to hit the slopes will have to wait a little bit longer than previously expected.

Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff has delayed it’s Friday opening due to a high pressure system hanging over the western United States. The planned opening date would have been the earliest in Snowbowl’s history.

Nightly temperatures above freezing have made it difficult for snow-making crews to create enough snow to safely open up the trails. General Manager J.R. Murray said Snowbowl continues to monitor temperatures and plans to open the resort on Nov. 18 or as soon as conditions allow.

“We are not discouraged given that it is early November and ski season should last well into April,” he said. “We are excited to kick off the winter season and welcome back our guests who are ready to ski. We just have to be a little patient and wait a bit like many of our fellow ski areas this season.”

The delayed opening also pushes back the debut of Snowbowl’s $10 million renovation to the resort, which includes the addition of the first six-person ski lift in Arizona.

Last year, Snowbowl opened on Nov. 20, which represented the earliest opening since 1979. The resort also enjoyed one if its best seasons attendance-wise in recent memory, welcoming the second-highest number of guests in its history.