Colorado resorts battling to be the first to open

Colorado's Loveland Ski Area has cranked up the snow guns and is battling a nearby resort to be the first in the nation to open this season

COLORADO'S LOVELAND Ski Area hasn’t turned off its snow guns in two days, taking advantage of cold and dry conditions near the Continental Divide with the goal of being the first ski area in the country to open for the seventh consecutive season.
    Every skier seems to have an opinion on when Loveland should open, but as of Tuesday morning, Loveland Marketing Manager Kathryn Johnson said no opening date had been set.
    Loveland opened on Oct. 14 last season.
    “Talking to our general manager [on Monday], we were laughing about it because we were like, ‘Boy, if we knew, we’d definitely be telling people.’ We definitely want them up here,” Johnson said.
    Johnson said perfect snowmaking conditions — low humidity coupled with temperatures in the teens and 20s — have allowed a thin ribbon of white to stick to the surface top to bottom on three separate trails. The area began blowing snow on Sept. 20 but had to turn off the guns for a while before cold weather moved back in last weekend.
    Snow is in the forecast the rest of the week at Loveland, which has a summit elevation of 13,010 feet. Johnson said that’s not necessarily a good thing for snowmaking operations, but nobody’s complaining.
    “If it was snowing, we’d have to deal with that humidity issue,” she said. “Of course, it’s just gravy when we get the natural snow.
    “We’re hoping for anywhere from a half a foot to a foot here this week. But I think what’s great is that we’ve just been able to turn the guns on and leave them on.”
    Johnson said that it’s “a definite possibility” that the area could open later this week if snowmaking crews can build and maintain a base layer of 18 to 21 inches.
    Battling Loveland for bragging rights as the first ski area to open this season is Arapahoe Basin, located just across Loveland Pass in Summit County. A-Basin also has yet to announce an opening date.
    "It’s a friendly race, a gentleman’s race. But I’m worried,” Johnson said. “I want us to open. I want us to be the first … and they’re hot on our heels.”