Monique Y. Herman wrote:
Does A-Basin's ridiculously high altitude generally give it an advantage
in early-season snowfall?

Its altitude is really more of an advantage for snow making. They
will have snow making temps before Keystone/Breck/Copper. They
will start making snow at the top, and work their way down. When
A-Basin &/or Loveland open first, there will be one available path
down. A-Basin has a bit of an advantage. They may well decide to
lay down a path on the upper 2/3rds of their mtn. This means
at the end of the ski day, you would download on the Exo lift,
just like we did at the end of last season. Loveland makes one
path down from their chair #1. So Loveland has to get snow
made all the way to the bottom.

Since A-Basin's plumbing just got finished (or very nearly
complete), they have no history in the "open first" race.
They have a lower & upper mtn per se, so they could cheat
a bit by getting the upper mtn going to get the area open.
If they have to cheat a bit to open first, I say fine. What
ever gets me back on my twigs fastest is OK by me.

Sam "About 5 weeks to go for ski season" Seiber