The race is on.
Hopes are high at Loveland Ski Area to open Colorado’s season after operators fired up the snow guns late Sunday. They worked past midnight for eight or nine hours, said marketing director John Sellers, adding to the 4 inches of natural powder that fell on the mountain over the weekend.
Loveland aims to best friendly foe Arapahoe Basin by running lifts first. The Summit County ski area won the race last year, hosting skiers on Oct. 21. A-Basin has kicked off the season four of the past five years, tying with Loveland on Oct. 29, 2015.
Opening-day celebrations at the ski area off Interstate 70 were last held on Oct. 7, 2009, and also year later on Oct. 24.
“It means a lot,” Sellers said of Loveland being first. “Snowmakers take a lot of pride in what they do, and the free media exposure that comes with being the first to open, that’s extremely valuable. It’s also extremely important to our passholders. Everybody’s eager to ski after a long, hot summer. So the sooner we can start running lifts for loyal customers the better.”
He said Loveland hasn’t been able to run the snow guns before October the past two years. Last Friday, A-Basin tweeted a video showing a test run of the snow guns, “so they’re ready when Mother Nature gives us the thumbs up.”
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