Although warm weather stretching into October prohibited snow-making at Loveland Ski Area, a late snowstorm blanketed the 1,800 acres of mountains with more than 11 inches of snow, readying the slopes for the ski season ahead.
“It’s going to be a good year,” said Dustin Schaefer, Loveland Ski Area’s marketing manager.
With plenty of mountain ski areas such as Breckenridge, Vail, Copper Mountain and Keystone, competition for skier dollars is always a challenge, Schaefer said.
Arapahoe Basin in Dillon claimed the title of first chair of the season on Oct. 29 this year, but most resorts are announcing opening dates through November. Loveland Ski Area does not yet have an official open date, but it’s coming within the next few weeks, according to Schaefer.
A regular season lift ticket at Loveland is $149 this year for skiers or boarders 15 years and older. For those up to 14 years old, a lift ticket will be $45 and anyone under 5 years old skis free, according to Schaefer.
“The special thing (at Loveland) is we’re not a ski resort, we’re a ski area. When you go to Loveland, you feel like family, not a number at a regular resort, and we try to keep lift passes financially affordable,” Schaefer said.
A study by RRC Associates, a research company in Boulder, states that Colorado’s ski industry generates $4.8 billion in annual economic output and supports more than 46,000 year-round equivalent jobs.