Loveland Ski Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Loveland Ski Area |
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View from above the Eisenhower Tunnel
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 Loveland Ski Area
Location in Colorado
Loveland Ski Area
Location in the United States
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| Location | Arapahoe National Forest Clear Creek County, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Silver Plume, 10 miles |
| Coordinates | 39°40′48″N 105°53′49″W / 39.680°N 105.897°W |
| Vertical | 2,210 ft (674 m) (Basin) 850 ft (259 m) (Valley) |
| Top elevation | 13,010 ft (3,965 m) (Basin) 11,250 ft (3,429 m) (Valley) |
| Base elevation | 10,800 ft (3,292 m) (Basin) 10,400 ft (3,170 m) (Valley) |
| Skiable area | 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) |
| Runs | 94 total : 13% beginner : 41% intermediate : 46% advanced/expert |
| Longest run | 2 miles (3 km) |
| Lift system | 10 total
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| Lift capacity | 14,293/hour |
| Terrain parks | 1: Love Park |
| Snowfall | 422 inches (1,070 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 240 acres (0.97 km2) |
| Night skiing | none |
| Website | www.skiloveland.com |
Loveland Ski Area is a popular place for skiing and snowboarding in the western United States. It's located near Georgetown, Colorado, inside the Arapahoe National Forest. Loveland is special because it's right at the eastern entrance of the Eisenhower Tunnel. This makes it one of the closest ski areas to the big city of Denver, so many local people love to visit.
The Upham family has owned and run the ski area for a long time. Chet Upham managed it until 2008, and then his wife, Virginia Lee Upham, took over until 2015. The family still owns Loveland Ski Area today.
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What Makes Loveland Ski Area Special?
Loveland Ski Area is actually made up of two different parts: Loveland Basin and Loveland Valley. These two areas used to be connected by a chairlift, but now you can travel between them by bus.
Loveland is one of the highest ski areas in Colorado. Its highest point is 13,010 ft (3,965 m) above sea level! It also has the second-highest lift-served areas in North America. The ski area gets its name from the nearby Loveland Pass.
Because it's so high up, Loveland usually opens for skiing very early in the season. Sometimes, it even opens in early October! It's known for being one of the first ski areas to open each year. Loveland is also a great choice if you want to avoid long lines and expensive tickets, especially during the week, because it doesn't have hotels right on the mountain.
Loveland Basin: For Experienced Skiers
Loveland Basin is the larger part of the ski area. It's often windier here than in Loveland Valley.
This area has most of the ski runs and chairlifts, including all the challenging "Most Difficult" and "Expert" trails. Eight out of the ten chairlifts at Loveland are in the Basin. At the bottom of the mountain, you'll find the Basin Lodge. This building has places to eat, like the Loveland Grill and a Deli, plus two bars. There are also several cabins on the mountain. Some are warming huts, and others offer food. They all have propane grills and are heated inside. The historic E-Tow Cabin is one of these, which was where the first E-Tow Lift was located. Many of these cabins can be rented for special events.
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View of the ridge above Loveland Ski Area.
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The view from Chair 1 at Loveland Ski Area.
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Views of The Ridge from the top of chair 9 at Loveland Basin.
Loveland Valley: Perfect for Beginners
Loveland Valley is designed especially for beginners. It has two chairlifts:
- Chair 3 serves intermediate and racing runs.
- Chair 7 is only for beginner slopes, like "All Smiles" and "Take Off."
The slopes in Loveland Valley are generally gentler, which makes it the perfect home for Loveland’s Ski and Ride School. If you're just starting out, this is the place to learn!
The Loveland Valley also has its own lodge building. Inside, you'll find a cafeteria, a bar, the Ski and Ride School office, a ticket office, a rental shop, lockers, restrooms, and a store.
Loveland Race Club
The Loveland Race Club is also located in Loveland Valley. Club members practice and race on the upper part of the Valley’s Switchback Trail. They practice every afternoon and hold races on the weekends. The Club even has its own lodge just below Chair 3. Every year, the Loveland Race Club puts on a big race called the Loveland Derby at Loveland Valley.
Loveland Ski Patrol
Loveland has a ski patrol team made up of both volunteers and paid staff. They help keep everyone safe on the mountain. Loveland's patrol is known for being very friendly and supportive. It's one of the few ski patrols in the Rocky Mountain area that has a special program for young adults. These young patrollers have the same important jobs as the adult patrollers.
History of Loveland Ski Area
Loveland first opened as a ski area in 1936. A person named J.C. Blickensderfer set up a portable tow rope in what is now Loveland Basin. The next year, Al Bennett took over and used a modified Model T car to power the tow. In 1941, the area was officially named Loveland Ski Tow Inc., and by the end of the 1940s, it had four tow ropes.
Many changes happened in the 1950s and 1960s, making the area much easier to access.
- In 1955, Loveland Ski Tow Inc. was bought by new owners. Pete Seibert, who later helped start the Vail Ski Resort, became the General Manager.
- Loveland's first chairlift, Chair 1, opened in 1955.
- Chair 2 was added in 1957, along with the Mambo Café.
- Chairs 3 and 4 were built in the 1960s.
The construction of the Eisenhower Tunnel began in 1968, with parts of it opening in 1973 and 1979. The owner, Upham, and general manager, Otto Werlin, got the idea for making artificial snow by watching the pumps and compressors used to dig the tunnel.
The 1980s and 1990s brought many upgrades to the ski area:
- In 1984, Loveland started making its own snow.
- In 1985, Chair 2 was upgraded to a triple chairlift.
- New lodge buildings were built in the Valley area in the late 1980s.
- Lift 8, a fixed-grip quad chairlift, was installed in 1990 to reach more difficult terrain.
- In 1995, the Basin’s lodge was updated and made bigger.
- Lift #3 was replaced with a fixed-grip quad in 1996.
- In 1998, another fixed-grip quad, Lift #9, was installed. This lift gave access to an area called "The Ridge." Before 2005, Lift 9 was the highest chairlift in North America where skiers could get off!
More recently, in 2011, the older Lift 4 was replaced with a triple chairlift. In 2015, Lift 2 was changed and shortened, and a new triple chairlift called Ptarmigan was added. In 2018, Lift 1 was replaced with a brand new, faster quad chairlift named "Chet's Dream."
Olympic Dreams for Loveland
When the International Olympic Committee chose Denver to host the 1976 Winter Olympics in 1970, the plan included using Mount Sniktau for downhill and giant slalom ski races, and Loveland Ski Area for slalom races. However, by 1972, the alpine events were moved to Vail because the original plans didn't meet Olympic standards. Later, the people of Colorado voted against using public money for the Olympics, so the games were moved to Innsbruck, Austria.
Aviation Incident Near Loveland
In October 1970, an airplane carrying part of the Wichita State University football team had an incident near the ski area. Many people helped right away, including drivers on the highway and construction workers from the Eisenhower Tunnel.
