First ski resort in North America to open
October 15th, 2005
DENVER, Colo., October 15, 2005 - Loveland Ski Area fired-up their lifts at 9 a.m. MST this morning making them the first resort in North America to open for the sixth year in a row. Recent snowfall combined with Loveland's snowmaking efforts enabled Loveland to kick-off the 2005-06 ski season a week earlier than average.
"We are honored to host North America's Opening Day celebration in Colorado," said John Sellers, Marketing Director of Loveland Ski Area. "Everyone is having a great time making their first turns of the season."
A dozen skiers and riders camped-out in the Loveland parking lot to ensure they rode one of the first chairs of the season. However, Nate "Dogggg" Nadler and friends beat them to the punch as they had been camping out since Wednesday.
Hundreds of first-day enthusiasts cheered on as Nadler and two friends rode up the Loveland's Chair 1 on the first chair of the 2005-06 ski season. This is the eighth year in a row these die-hards secured seats on the coveted first chair.
"Everyone's having a great time up here and the exhilaration of skiing on the first day, before Halloween no less, is unbelievable,” said Rob Perlman, President & CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. I'm always amazed at the quality of the snow on Opening Day here at Loveland. They have done a fantastic job utilizing the recent natural snowfall and preparing the slopes with grooming and snowmaking."
Loveland opened with one 1,000 vertical foot top-to-bottom groomed run with a minimum snow base between 18 and 21 inches. In addition, a small terrain park is set up near the base of the mountain for eager jibbers.
The latest snowstorm, which came to Colorado from the north and missed the entire western United States, brought over two feet of snow to areas in the Colorado high country. It dumped nearly a foot and a half on Loveland Ski Area, intensifying the race between two Colorado resorts, Loveland and Arapahoe Basin, to see which would open first.
"Our snowmaking crews have been working around the clock to prepare the mountain and they have done a tremendous job," said Sellers. "All of their hard work and a little help from Mother Nature enabled us to open with great coverage and will help us to open additional terrain soon."
Loveland Ski Area is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Early season lift tickets cost $38 for adults and $18 for children ages 6-14.
Arapahoe Basin will open next Friday, Oct. 21. For snow conditions and other CSCUSA resorts opening dates, visit coloradoski.com or call 303/825-SNOW.
Loveland Ski Area is located 53 miles west of Denver and 12 miles east of Silverthorne at Exit 216 on Interstate 70. Call (303) 571-5580 or visit www.skiloveland.com for the latest snow conditions, live web cams and additional information.
Colorado Ski Country USA is a not-for-profit trade association representing Colorado's 25 ski and snowboard resorts. Information about the organization and its members can be found at www.coloradoski.com.
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