DENVER, the United States, June 28 (Xinhua) -- It's official - for only the second time in more than 20 years, thousands of Americans will spend July 4th, skiing in U.S. western state of Colorado.
"Now this is the way to celebrate our independence from the Great Britain," said Aspen ski instructor Brian Sweeterman, of the annual celebration of the United States' Independence Day.
"It's such a rarity to be skiing this time of year - thousands of people will be there," he told Xinhua Friday, of a popular ski resort located 64 miles (102.9 kilometers) west of the state capitol Denver that will stay open for one of America's biggest holidays.
Officials of Arapahoe Basin ski area said that the resort will be open for skiing on the Fourth of July - for the first time since 2011, and only the second time since 1997.
Record snowfall this past winter ended a 21-year drought in Colorado, and continuing cold spring weather and precipitation at the higher elevations has left snowfields much higher than they were a year ago, according to the Colorado Climate Center.
Commonly known as "A-Basin," Arapahoe is one of Colorado's top 10 resorts, according to Planetware.com, and its unusually high location on Loveland Pass allows snow to linger longer than any ski resort in the Centennial State.
Loveland's summit elevation reaches 13,050 feet (3,977 meters) and a base elevation is 10,780 feet (3,285 meters) which allows the resort to stay open into June and sometimes even later, well beyond the April closing dates of the surrounding mountains.
A-Basin's season 2018-19 has lasted almost 9 months after opening on Oct. 19, 2018.
Slopes will be open on July 4 from late morning until mid-afternoon, according to A-Basin officials, who are offering live music as well.
"It should be quite the party," Sweeterman said, of the resort where almost seven feet of snow have fallen since March.
