Loveland Resort

• 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday
• 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on weekends and designated holidays
• Skiable Acres: 1,570
• Hikeable Acres: 100
• Trails: 93
• Base Elevation: 10,800 feet (3292 meter)
• Summit Elevation: 13,010 feet (3965.448 meter) Lift-served: 12,700 feet
• Vertical Drop: 2,210 feet (674 meter)
• Snowmaking Capability: 160 Acres
• Lifts: 2 double, 3 triple, 3 quad, 1 surface lift and 1magic carpet (ski school only)
• Average Snowfall: 422 inches (10.7188 meters) based on 31 year average
• Longest Run: 2 miles ( 3.218 Km )
• Slopes: 13% Beginner 41% Intermediate  and 46% Advanced

Description

The Loveland Ski Area is the combination of the Loveland Basin and Loveland Valley ski areas. The two areas, formerly connected by a double chairlift, are now served by bus. The area is one of Colorado’s highest ski areas with a summit of 13,010 ft (3,965 m) and the second highest lift-served areas in North America at 12,697 ft (3,870 m). The ski area takes its name from adjacent Loveland Pass, which separates it from the nearby Arapahoe Basin ski area, on the west side of the Divide via U.S. Route 6.

The ski area is situated on the east side of the Eisenhower Tunnel, through which I-70 crosses the Continental Divide. Because of its lofty elevation, Loveland is typically one of the first ski areas to open; the earliest opening record on October 7, 2009. It also has the most “first” victories (five and one tie) in recent years. It is generally regarded as the closest major ski area open to the Denver market. Due to its lack of on-site lodging, Loveland often has shorter lift lines and less-expensive lift tickets, particularly midweek.

Loveland Basin Ski Area

The Basin is the larger of the two areas that compose Loveland Ski Area. It features a vertical drop of 2,410 feet (735 m), a base of 10,800 feet (3,292 m) and a summit of 13,010 feet (3,965 m). The Basin is home to 6 of the 8 lifts and 85% of the 1,800 skiable acres. Another feature of the Basin is the vast terrain above the timberline.

The Basin is the home to the main lodge of the area as well. Facilities at the lodge consist of the ticket tower, a rental and repair shop, lockers, a retail area, ski patrol, a nursery, and administrative offices. The retail sport shop has been awarded the Gold Medal Shop Award by SKI Magazine ranking it as one of the top 60 shops in North America.

The Ridge @ Loveland is the lift served area off chair 9 at an elevation of 12,697 feet (3,870 m) and is hikeable to the summit at 13,010 feet (3,965 m). It features almost entirely Black and Double Black runs. It also has 360 degree vistas that stretch across and beyond the Continental Divide.

Loveland Basin also has a Terrain park named Love Park. It is situated along the Tempest run off of the #1 lift. The Park has terrain for everyone from beginners to advanced riders and includes Rails, Funboxes, Tabletop jumps, Kickers. The Park occasionally hosts competitions like the Vert Alert and the Rail Jams.

Loveland Valley Ski Area

The Valley is geared toward beginners at Loveland. It has two chair lifts, Chair 3, which serves its intermediate and racing runs, and Chair 7, which exclusively serves its beginner slopes, All Smiles and Take Off. Generally, its slopes are gentler which suits itself well to be the home of Loveland’s Ski and Ride School.

Loveland Valley has a lodge building that consists of a cafeteria, bar, the Ski and Ride School office, a ticket office, a rental shop, lockers, hygiene services and a retail area.

Loveland Race Club is also located within the Valley. The Club practices and races at the upper end of the Valley’s Switchback Trail. Practices are held every afternoon and races are held on the weekend. The Club also has a lodge just below the base of Chair 3.

There is a big race that happens at Loveland Valley every year called the Loveland Derby that is put on by the Loveland Race Club.

Ski patrol

Loveland has a combination volunteer and paid patrol that services the mountain and leads the way for other volunteer patrols with their extensive camaraderie. It is one of the few patrols in the Rocky Mountain Division that has an active young adult program, who share the same responsibilities as their adult compatriots.

History

Loveland was first opened as a ski area in 1936 by J.C. Blickensderfer. Mr. Blickensderfer installed a portable tow rope in what is now Loveland Basin. The following year, operations were taken over by Al Bennett who used a modified Model T to power the tow. In 1941 the area was named Loveland Ski Tow Inc. and through the 40’s the area grew to boast 4 tows.

Many changes occurred during the 1950s and 1960s which made the Ski area much more accessible. In 1955, Loveland Ski Tow Inc. was purchased by stockholders and Pete Seibert, the future co-founder of the Vail Ski Resort, was hired as General Manager. Loveland’s first chairlift, Chair 1, opened in 1955. Chair 2 was added in 1957, as was the Mambo Café, which was situated near the base of what is now Chair 4. Chairs 3 and 4 were also constructed during the 1960s. Loveland saw the construction of the Eisenhower Tunnel beginning in 1968, with tunnel openings in 1973 and 1979. The owner Upham and Loveland general manager Otto Werlin conceived the idea of artificial snow from observing the pumps and compressors being used to dig the nearby Tunnel.

The 1980s and 1990s brought about several upgrades to existing equipment. In 1984, snow-making capabilities were installed. In 1985 the #2 Chair was upgraded to a high capacity Lift Engineering Yan triple. The late 80’s also saw the construction of expanded lodge facilities at the Valley area. The #8 Chair, a fixed grip quad, was installed to access intermediate and advanced terrain in 1990. In 1995 the Basin’s lodge was remodeled and expanded. Lift #3 was replaced in 1996 with a Poma High Capacity Quad. 1998 saw the installation of Lift #9 which provided access, one of the highest chairlifts in the world, to “The Ridge”.

In 2011, #4 Chair was torn down and replaced with a Leitner-Poma 250 Alpha 80 Fixed Triple Chair.

Proposed Olympic venue

When the International Olympic Committee awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics to Denver in May 1970, the local organizers’ proposal included the development of Mount Sniktau as the primary venue for alpine ski racing for downhill and giant slalom, with slalom at Loveland Ski Area.By early 1972, it was decided to move the alpine events to Vail because the proposals did not meet the Olympic standards. After the Colorado voters, in November, rejected public funding for the Olympics, it was relocated to Innsbruck, Austria.

For more information on Loveland Ski Area