Loveland Ski Area plans to open 2 days ahead of Arapahoe Basin in friendly rivalry

Loveland Ski Area in Colorado plans to open on Wednesday,
Oct. 7, for the 2009-10 ski season.    Photo: Loveland Ski Area

Loveland opens Oct. 7

Loveland Ski Area in Colorado will be the first ski area in North America to open for the 2009-10 season on Wednesday, Oct. 7, its earliest opening in 40 years. Nearby Arapahoe Basin plans to open two days later on Friday, Oct. 9, its earliest opening in history.

Las Vegas Ski Resort also opens Oct.7

Bolstered by natural snowfall during the past couple weeks, snowmaking crews at both ski areas have raced to be the first to open for the season. Both areas opened on Oct. 15 last year. The two areas benefit from high-altitude locations along the Continental Divide. The loading station for  Loveland's opening-day chairlift rests at an altitude of 10,813. Arapahoe Basin's base is at an elevation 10,780 feet.

Loveland snowmaking started Sept. 21

Loveland started making snow on Sept. 21, compared to Sept. 23 last year. "We took advantage of the cold temperatures and got an early start making snow this year. Those extra days paid off and we are opening a week earlier than last season," said Eric Johnstone, Loveland's snowmaking and trail maintenance manager. "Now we can move some equipment to other trails and try to open more terrain as quickly as possible."

"We are proud of our snowmaking crew and extremely excited to offer the first skiing and snowboarding in Colorado and North America," said Rob Goodell, director of business operations at Loveland. "Skiers and riders have been waiting all summer for this day and we are anxious to fire up the lifts. We are opening a week earlier than last year, but the coverage is great. We will open with an 18" base and tree to tree coverage on our opening-day run."

The opening-day run consists of 1,000 vertical feet via Chair 1. Catwalk, Mambo and Home Run make up this route that is more than a mile in length. Early-season lift tickets at Loveland are $44 for adults and $21 for children ages 6-14.

Arapahoe Basin set its opening day for Oct. 9, to begin
the 2009-10 ski season. As evidenced by this photo taken
on Tuesday moring, the High Noon run (center) already
has solid snow cover in preparation for Friday's opening.
                                                               Photo: Arapahoe Basin

A-Basin plans to open Exhibition lift

At Arapahoe Basin, the Exhibition chairlift will open to the public at 9 a.m. Friday. Skiers and riders can look forward to an 18-inch base on the intermediate High Noon run and six features in the High Divide Terrain Park. Early-season lift tickets at Arapahoe Basin are $49 for adults, $44 for youth ages 15-19, and $25 for children 6-14.

Loveland may have won this year's race to open, but Arapahoe Basin will likely have the last word. While Loveland usually closes in May, Arapahoe Basin traditionally stays open into June. For the 2008-09 season, the area closed on June 7.

Keystone, Copper Mountain to open Nov. 6

Just down the road from Arapahoe Basin, Keystone Resort has scheduled a relatively early opening date of Nov. 6. Another Summit County ski area, Copper Mountain Resort, turned on its snow guns on Oct. 1 to prepare for an announced Nov. 6 opening. The fourth and final Summit County area, Breckenridge Resort, plans to open Nov. 12. Loveland Ski Area is actually in adjacent Clear Creek County.

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