We’ll be brief—winter is coming. Snowmaking began Monday at Copper Mountain, in preparation not only for the throngs of Colorado skiers and snowboarders who will flock to the resort on its November 11 opening day, but also for the U.S. Ski Team. The team trains at Copper in November and December, and will host one of their key early-season events, the NASTAR Pacesetting Trials, at the resort on November 19. As for the non-professionals among us, it’s officially time to get hyped.

Click here for a drone video of the snowmaking process at Copper this week.

Photo courtesy of Tripp Fay / Copper Mountain
Photo courtesy of Tripp Fay / Copper Mountain
Photo courtesy of Tripp Fay / Copper Mountain