Granby's Thanksgiving Week Now Starts at the Chairlift

"We invested heavily in our snow making equipment, really, since new ownership has stepped in." Granby Ranch marketing director Brad Moss said that to Sky-Hi News last November, as the resort got ready for its earliest opening ever on Nov. 26, 2025. The same article carried a promise from management that matters more for this year. The resort plans to open on the day before Thanksgiving every year from now on.

This year the promise gets its first test, and it puts Granby's holiday week in a fixed order. Lifts start turning Wednesday. Thursday has a buffet that had to add a seating. Friday is set up for Grand County School District families. Saturday ends downtown under the tree lights. All four dates are already posted, so you can plan the week in October.

The Equipment Behind the Date

The Nov. 2025 Sky-Hi report lists what management says makes the yearly date possible. Crews put in about 10 new snow guns on the West Mountain, on a system that lets them watch and start guns remotely when the temperature drops. They also regraded the old C-Note area and added snowmaking to 7 acres there. That terrain came back as Renegade Ridge.

Ownership is the background. Brothers Bob and David Glarner, through GR Terra and its affiliate GRCO, bought Granby Ranch out of foreclosure in 2021 for $29 million. Sky-Hi reported that they have kept putting money into the mountain since.

A thin winter didn't slow that spending. At a June 3 presentation on the resort's next three to five years, general manager of development and construction Dave Huber said snowfall had been below expectations last winter. He said Granby Ranch plans to put more money into snowmaking capacity and automation, according to Sky-Hi News. He did not give costs or timelines, so nobody should assume new equipment will be running this November.

The date has held so far, and it was published weeks ahead. In its Oct. 6 roundup of 2026–27 opening days, Colorado Ski Country USA lists Granby Ranch for Nov. 25, 2026. That puts it after Steamboat on Nov. 21 and a day before Aspen Mountain and Snowmass on Nov. 26. The same release notes that every opening date depends on weather and conditions.

The Week, in Order

1. Wednesday, Nov. 25: Opening Day. The resort's Opening Day page gives the date and pitches the day as "carving turns to carving turkeys." It does not list which lifts or runs will open, so the first-day terrain report is the one to watch that morning.
2. Thursday, Nov. 26: Thanksgiving Day Celebration. It's the third annual buffet, with seatings at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
3. Friday, Nov. 27: The first Friday of the season. Free Ski Fridays run every Friday this winter for Grand County School District students and employees.
4. Saturday, Nov. 28: Granby Tree Lighting at the Granby Information Center.

Here is each day in more detail.

Thursday: The Buffet That Outgrew Two Seatings

This is only the third year of Granby Ranch's Thanksgiving buffet, and it has already outgrown its schedule. On the event page, the resort says it is "adding an extra seating this year to accommodate the growing demand" and that reservations "are filling up fast." The third seating, at 6 p.m., covers anyone who skis the afternoon before dinner.

The reservation page linked from the event lists the buffet at Bluebird Bistro, 1000 Village Road, for $75 per person. The resort also keeps an older Thanksgiving page with a menu from the 2024 and 2025 dinners. The current listing hasn't posted a 2026 menu, so treat the old one as a sample of past years, not this year's food.

Because the lifts open Wednesday, the buffet now lands on day two of the season, so you can ski in the morning and still make dinner at the base.

If you want a morning run before the meal, the Fraser River Valley Lions hold the Winter Park Turkey Trot 5K at 9:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. It starts at Cooper Creek Square and finishes at Vicious Cycle Brewing in Fraser. Entry is $30 for adults and $15 for kids under 12.

Friday: The Day Built for Local Families

A Wednesday opening means the season's first Friday falls two days later, and Fridays at Granby Ranch now belong to the school district. In Colorado Ski Country USA's 2026–27 season release, Granby Ranch says it will offer free skiing and snowboarding every Friday this winter to Grand County School District students and employees. Free rentals start at 10 a.m., and free beginner lessons run from 1 to 3:30 p.m. That means a first-timer doesn't need their own gear or any past lessons.

The resort's 2026/27 season pass lineup includes a Grand County School District pass along with Unlimited, Weekday, Uphill, Patriot and Nordic passes. Pass holders get seven 50%-off buddy tickets and 10% off rentals, ski school, retail and select dining. Night skiing, unlimited Nordic access and a discounted Indy add-on are also included. Those buddy tickets come in handy on a weekend when relatives are in town.

If a family member is just starting out this year, the beginner area near the base works the same way it has for a few seasons. The 400-foot covered conveyor came in for the 2023–24 winter. Sky-Hi described it last November as the entry point for many first-time skiers, feeding a group of learning areas close to the base lodge.

Saturday: Downtown Takes the Handoff

The resort runs the first three days of the week, and downtown Granby takes Saturday. Destination Granby lists the annual Granby Tree Lighting for Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, at the Granby Information Center. It promises hot cocoa and treats, s'mores over a fire, and carols from the Granby Minnesingers children's choir.

Downtown has a few new spots to visit before the lights go on. Grey Ghost Trading Post, a bicycle-repair and gear-consignment shop owned by Lindy Halliday and Andy Davis, opened July 1. It shares a historic building at 62 E. Agate Ave. with Hideaway West Taproom, owned by Andy Brumenschenkel. The two held a joint grand opening in late August, Sky-Hi News reported.

If Friday and Saturday leave daylight to fill, the county has one more holiday event that weekend. The Olde Fashioned Holiday Craft Bazaar runs at the Grand Lake Community House on Nov. 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and the Grand Lake Creative District lists work from 20 Colorado crafters. That leaves time to get back to Granby for the tree lighting.

What Opening Day Doesn't Include Yet

Thanksgiving week is only the first part of Granby Ranch's winter calendar. The resort's events calendar has après-ski and live music starting Dec. 18 and night skiing starting Dec. 19. Santa visits on Dec. 22, Dino O'Dell gives children's performances Dec. 23 and 24, and a New Year's Eve Bash closes the year on Dec. 31. If you're waiting for night laps under the lights, plan on the second half of December, not the holiday week.

Some of what you'll see on the mountain this winter is from last season. The 2025–26 work included Renegade Ridge, a widened Jackpot Trail, thinned tree islands on East Mountain, a new ski patrol headquarters at the top of East Peak, and The Outpost, a small food-and-drink building with a deck at the summit. Rental skis, snowboards, Nordic skis and snowshoes were replaced across the board. The projects Huber described in June, including a new ski patrol building by the Quick Draw lift and more snowmaking automation, didn't come with completion dates.

Last season's opening was a first, and Nov. 25 will be the first time the resort repeats it. For more on the town between seasons, see our pieces on Granby's late-September lull and how Granby's summer got longer.

The team at The Simple Life Colorado works in Grand County year-round. If you have relatives coming in for Thanksgiving week and want help planning around opening day, the buffet seatings or the tree lighting, Contact Us. We're always glad to talk about Granby.