A-Basin set to open Friday, followed by Loveland on Saturday

Arapahoe Basin will win the race to be the first ski area in Colorado to open for the 2018-19 ski season … and then stay open on a daily basis. A-Basin is set to open Friday, Oct. 19.

Loveland Ski Area will crank up its lifts for the season on Saturday, Oct. 20 — the same day as last season. Both ski areas near the I-70 corridor were beaten to the punch by Wolf Creek Ski Area on Saturday, Oct. 13.

But Wolf Creek is only open for the weekends for the time being.

Meanwhile, despite all the recent snow and colder temperatures ideal for snowmaking, Vail is still a month away from opening day on Friday, Nov. 16. Beaver Creek opens the following Wednesday, Nov. 21.

Here’s what A-Basin COO Alan Henceroth had to say about opening day on Friday:

“We will open Black  Mountain Express and High Noon this Friday at 9:00 AM. It will be a fine opening.”

And there you have it. Short and sweet.

Here’s a much more detailed posting from Loveland about Saturday’s opening:

Loveland Ski Area will open for the 2018/19 season on Saturday, October 20.

“Thanks to lots of hard work from our skilled snowmaking team and 2 feet of snow from Mother Nature, we are excited to announce that Loveland Ski Area will open with exceptional early season conditions this Saturday,” said Rob Goodell, chief operating officer. “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.”

Chet’s Dream will run from 8:300am until 4:00pm on Saturday and will offer skiers and riders access to one top-to-bottom run covered from tree-to-tree with an 18 inch base. The trails Catwalk, Mambo and Home Run make up this Opening Day run which is over a mile in length and nearly one thousand vertical feet.

“This year Opening Day is even more special as Chet’s Dream, our new high-speed lift, will carry the first skiers and riders of its tenure here at Loveland,” continued Goodell. “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.”

Loveland Ski Area also opened on October 20 last season. Loveland’s snowmakers will continue to make snow on Home Run and around the base of Chet’s Dream this week before moving on to opening additional terrain.

Loveland Ski Area will be open 7 days a week until Closing Day in early May. Lift operation hours are 9:00am until 4:00pm on weekdays and 8:30am until 4:00pm on weekends and designated holidays. Early season lift tickets are $65 for adults and $31 for children 6-14.