As far as opening days are concerned, today was one of the better for neighboring ski areas A-Basin and Loveland.
Starting off the day at Loveland, conditions were pure chalk. A combination of man-made and natural snow created great conditions and one Loveland ski patroller said it was the best coverage he’s seen for an opening day. “You can usually see dirt everywhere but not this year,” he said. Albeit a later opening date, the conditions do feel considerbly more wintery up high compared to past opening days.
Crowds were scare to start off the Colorado ski season at Loveland, while A-Basin saw more people on its smaller slope (most likely due to their inclusion as an Epic Pass resort). Also, ‘The Beach’ was just full enough to create a good tailgate scene for those lucky souls who decided to skip work and score turns on ‘The Legend’ instead.
Arapahoe Basin Snow Report:
- 18″ Mid-Mountain Base Depth
Loveland Ski Area Snow Report:
- 18″ Mid-Mountain Base Depth
- 21” YTD
As far as conditions are concerned, Loveland won the opening day battle with sunny morning skies and better snow, while Arapahoe Basin got icy and a bit scraped off on its slightly steeper slope.
That said, there’s a money mogul/kicker at the bottom of High Noon that is begging for a spraffy, daffy, or twister. Just make sure the landing is clear. Both ski areas are also rocking terrain parks with Loveland’s looking a little cleaner as of now with 2 boxes and one rail.
Also Read: The Art of Skiing: The White Strip of Death
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Bottomline, Colorado is stoked to ski lift-accessed slopes.