The Jack-o'-lanterns aren't carved yet but skiers are already carving out turns in Colorado. Yes, it's ski season even before it is trick-or-treat time. With two ski areas opened and more to start up the ski lifts in the following weeks, Colorado offers skiing while much of the country waits anxiously for the snow to paint the slopes white.
On October 13, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski Area simultaneously opened for the season. The two ski areas have had an informal race for a number of years to see which would offer the first chairlift ride of the season.
While it might seem irreverent, one must remember how revered the lifestyle of a ski bum is in Colorado. Many a casual conversation will include comparing how many ski days a person has gotten in for the season. Also, some true die-hards will camp overnight in freezing temperatures in hopes of getting the coveted first carves of the season on pristine runs.
It's not as unusual as it sounds for people to be dressing up in ski pants and softshell jackets instead of Halloween costumes though.
"We have opened every year before Halloween since before I got here," said Loveland Ski Area Marketing Director John Sellers. "We always shoot for mid-October for an opening date. I'm sure we'll have some people riding in costumes on the hill."
Preparing the Slopes for Early Skiing in Colorado
Loveland Ski Area began blowing snow on September 24. Many of the resorts shoot around the beginning of autumn to begin laying down a snowy base for the upcoming season. While it might seem early when looking at the calendar, it is the perfect time to start laying the groundwork. Shortening days and nights around or below freezing level affords crews the chance to get a solid layer of man-made snow down.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland got a beneficial boost from Mother Nature less than a week after the season began. Sellers estimates a foot fell at the ski area and Arapahoe Basin measured 6 inches of powder from the latest storm.
Skiers Wait for More Snow at Loveland and Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
The additional snow and an increase in blowing operations has opened four runs at Loveland with another two expected to open in the next few days. Arapahoe Basin also expects to open up another run before Halloween and more, if conditions allow.
Still everybody keeps an eye on the forecast for more fluffy to fall.
"I think every single skier in Colorado does that every day, don't they," Sellers said.
2008 Skiing in Colorado - Copper Mountain, Keystone, Breckenridge, Wolf Creek to Open Nov. 7
Fellow resorts scheduled to open the weekend after Halloween - Nov. 7 - includes Copper Mountain, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Wolf Creek Ski Area.
"Everybody is really amped up to get a new season upon us," Cooper Mountain Public Relations Coordinator and die-hard snowboarder David Roth said. "We've gotten a good amount of snow here the past few days. We're just getting everything squared away."
Skiing season is beginning to get into swing in Colorado even if the calendar doesn't show winter yet. Skiers and snowboarders both know with a few more storms, powder shots will be had by all before the Thanksgiving turkey is carved.
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