Two more Colorado ski areas will open this week with Loveland kicking off its season on Wednesday and Breckenridge opening on Friday.
That will bring the total in operation to five. Wolf Creek opened Oct. 28, Keystone on Nov. 6 and Arapahoe Basin on Monday.
RELATED: See photos from Keystone’s opening day
This marks just the third time in the past 25 years that Loveland has failed to open in October, according to records kept by the Denver Post, so the timely snowstorm that blanketed much of the high country this week was much appreciated by Loveland trail crews.
“The cold weather and natural snow we received this weekend was just what our snowmaking team needed to get us ready for opening day,” chief operating officer Rob Goodell said in a news release announcing the opening. “We will put the finishing touches on Home Run and around the base of Chet’s Dream for opening day and then move on to opening additional terrain as quickly as we can.”
Like every other Colorado ski area, Loveland was forced to halt operations on March 15 due to the pandemic. Loveland typically operates into May; it was permitted to reopen in late May, but officials decided against it.
“We have been waiting to welcome everyone back to the mountain since our season ended in March and are happy to announce that opening day is finally here,” Goodell said. “We want to do everything we can to make sure we remain open for the entire season and are counting on everyone to do their part to help keep the season going.”
Loveland will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, opening at 8:30 a.m. on weekends. Early season lift tickets will cost $75 and are only sold online in advance. Loveland has connected three trails into one run with a vertical drop of nearly 1,000 feet.
Breckenridge will offer three trails on about 90 acres of terrain via the BreckConnect Gondola, the Colorado SuperChair, 5-Chair and Rip’s Ride.