Loveland Ski Area to open Saturday for 2018-19 ski, snowboard season

(Photo: Loveland Ski Area)

Posted: Oct 16, 2018 / 11:05 AM MDT

Updated: Oct 16, 2018 / 10:03 PM MDT

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CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Not long after Arapahoe Basin Ski Area announced it would open Friday, Loveland Ski Area said Tuesday that its first day of the ski and snowboard season will be Saturday.

Snowmaking and 2 feet of natural snow helped push the popular ski area on Interstate 70 at the Continental Divide to open this weekend.

“We hope this early season snow is the start of a generous winter and invite everyone to join us on Saturday as we kick off another long and powder packed season at Loveland,” Chief Operating Officer Rob Goodell said.

Loveland battles with Arapahoe Basin annually to be the first in the state to open.

But an early-season storm in southern Colorado allowed Wolf Creek Ski Area northeast of Pagosa Springs to be the first in the nation to open last weekend.

Arapahoe Basin will open Friday. Loveland opened on Oct. 20 last year.

Chet’s Dream, a new high-speed lift, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, giving skiers and snowboarders access to one top-to-bottom run with an 18-inch base.

“This new lift will provide our guests with quicker and more reliable access to some of our most popular terrain while honoring ski industry pioneer and Loveland patriarch, Chester R. (Chet) Upham, Jr.,” Goodell said.

Loveland will be open seven days a week until it closes in May. Lift hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and designated holidays.

Early-season lift tickets are $65 for adults and $31 for children 6-14.

Most other resorts in the state are projected to open within the next six weeks.