Colorado Ski Area Officially Begins Making Snow; Sets Sights On Opening Date

The race for the first chair is officially on.

Loveland Ski Area, Colorado, shared today, October 3rd, that they had started making snow.

Tune in below.

And for those who prefer moving pictures, here are the snow guns in action.

Late last month, on September 19th, Loveland announced that they had completed testing their snow guns alongside sharing plans to officially begin snowmaking on October 1st.

While the weather wasn't cold enough on the 1st, the resort's fortunes changed today, allowing them to get a headstart on the season. Plus, Mother Nature hooked it up with a bonus inch of natural season.

Last season, the resort started snowmaking on October 12th and opened on November 3rd. Loveland reports that they typically aim for a "mid-October to early-November opening."

This early-opening window puts the resort in contention with another Coloradan ski area, Arapahoe Basin. A-Basin, like Loveland, is known for getting at least one run open mid to late fall.

While A-Basin hasn't shared any information about the current status of their snowmaking operations, they, too, saw some early-season snowfall this week.

Now, the waiting game begins.

Given Loveland has started snowmaking nearly two weeks than it did last year, an October isn't out of the question. The resort usually requires "a few weeks" of snowmaking to get its first seasonal offering -- a top-to-bottom run composed of the trails Catwalk, Mambo, and Home Run -- ready for skiers.

"It's starting to look and feel like winter at Loveland," said Rob Goodell, COO. "Our snowmaking team capitalized on the cold weather, and we're off to a great start. The forecast is calling for cold temperatures through the week, and we will make snow as conditions permit. We look forward to skiing with everyone very soon."

Think snow. Think cold temps. You Colorado skiers might be hitting the slopes in a matter of weeks.

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