If Thursday's brief return to winter has some Denverites dreaming of the slopes, there are still a few weeks left.

In fact, a couple of Colorado resorts plan to add a bit more spring skiing to their schedules.

Aspen Highlands and Vail Mountain have each added a week to their season and will close April 8 and April 22, respectively.

"We took a look at where we were in the season and made plans for it in January," said Vail Mountain spokeswoman Jen Brown.

"We knew we had great snow, and we extended snowmaking through late January to beef up high-traffic areas. It's an opportunity for locals and Front Range folks to enjoy the mountain a little bit longer."

At Aspen Highlands, a bit of serendipity came into play this year, said spokesman Jeff Hanle.

Last year brought a ton of snow, he said, but repairs and maintenance work were slated to start as soon as the hill closed for the season, so extending was out of the question.

This year's schedule was a bit more flexible.

"We got a foot of snow in the last few days, and we decided we'd keep her open," he said.

Vail Resorts' other mountains, including Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge, will close as originally scheduled, said spokeswoman Kelly Ladyga.

Winter Park and Copper Mountain still are slated to end their seasons April 15.

Those resorts do their business planning a year out, said spokesman Matt Sugar, and it would be too expensive at this late date to try to staff for an extended season.

By mid-April, typically the end of the season for both, the snow is also starting to deteriorate and skiing conditions aren't what they were weeks earlier, he said.

"We get to the spring and a lot of people are eyeing the golf course instead of the ski slope," he said.

Select closings

• April 1: Buttermilk

• April 8: Aspen Highlands (It had been slated to close April 1.)

• April 15: Beaver Creek, Keystone, Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Copper Mountain, Winter Park

• April 22: Vail Mountain (originally slated to close April 15), Breckenridge

• June: Arapahoe Basin

forgrievej@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5191