The closest major ski resort to Pueblo has officially opened for the 2024-25 season.

Monarch Mountain, less than a two and a half hour drive from Pueblo, celebrated the opening day of its 85th anniversary^Th Season November 22nd.

“Every year our goal is to get the lifts up and running as early as possible, and thanks to Mother Nature and the tireless efforts of our incredible mountain operations team, the opening will take place in November!” Monarch Mountain General Manager Chris Haggerty said on April 19 . November in a guest blog post on the Monarch Mountain website.

The Nov. 22 opening marks the first time since 2020 that Monarch has opened before Thanksgiving Day, according to a separate blog post from Scott Pressly, vice president of mountain operations for Monarch Mountain.

Monarch officials said they planned to open four lifts and 20 designated trails on opening weekend.