COLORADO NEWS

Even with warm temperatures, ski resorts fire up their snow guns

Oct 10, 2024, 5:17 PM | Updated: 5:26 pm

The unseasonably warm temperatures aren’t stopping Colorado’s ski resorts.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, both Loveland Ski Area and Arapahoe Basin Ski Area — located in Georgetown and Dillon, respectively — dusted off their snow guns in an attempt to defy Mother Nature and gear up for the 2024-25 ski season.

During a year with weather more typical for the season, snowmaking commences in late September — about two weeks straight of snowmaking, and the resorts can toy with opening. This year, the heat had other plans.

Arapahoe posted on its social media platforms on Tuesday to report the testing of its snow guns late the previous day and early that morning. Noting that even with the warm weather, their “snowmaking team is precise and ready to jump whenever the right condition window presents itself.”

In the 2023-24 season, the resort, often referred to as ‘A-Basin,’ started spinning some of its lifts on October 29. It’s unlikely that the Dillon resort will be open by the same time this year, although its website states “We will open as soon as possible for the 2024-25 winter season!” Beyond that, there is no specific timeframe the resort has laid out in terms of opening.

Even with the long-lasting summer temperatures, Loveland similarly put on a display of readiness by conducting water testing on its snow guns on Wednesday. This poses quite a contract to its earliest opening day, which was September 30 in 1951.

Loveland regularly posts updates on its snowmaking operations on its website, with Thursday’s update stating “Our snowmaking team is completing final maintenance on the snow guns and has conducted water tests. The team is closely monitoring the forecast and is ready to fire up the snow guns as soon as Mother Nature gives the go-ahead.”

The resort, which has a reputation of firing the starting gun sooner than the rest, plans to open some of its runs and lifts in either late October or early November. Last season, Loveland opened on November 9.

Could Denver see its latest first snow ever this year?

Colorado News

(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

After lines to park were ‘hours’ long and they ran out of food, Colorado’s Renaissance Festival will limit guests

Colorado’s Renaissance Festival is awesome, and it seems like the word is all the way out now. So many people went to the festival in Larkspur over the weekend that […]

21 hours ago

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

Colorado Rockies draft son of one of their best players ever

My favorite moment in Colorado Rockies‘ history will likely always be the Matt Holliday slide into home plate with his face to send the team to the playoffs after defeating […]

22 hours ago

Netflix...

Shawn Patrick

Netflix documentary about Colorado’s ‘Balloon Boy’ premieres July 15

It was one of those moments that we all remember where we were when it happened. If you were around in October of 2009, you likely know exactly what TV […]

22 hours ago

(Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)...

Shawn Patrick

U.S. Men’s National Soccer team announces first game in Denver in four years

Denver is sort of turning into a soccer mecca. The hype around the new NWSL team is huge, and now the U.S. National team is coming to town for a […]

23 hours ago

Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Country music legend Randy Travis will bring his More Life Tour to Denver

One of the main reasons I sit here writing articles on a country radio station’s website is because of Randy Travis. My love for him and his music runs deep, […]

4 days ago

Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Thanks to PETA, Colorado snakes in captivity will now live much more comfortably

Have you ever slept in a bed that was too short for you? Having to curl up to fit the whole night is one of the more uncomfortable things you […]

4 days ago

Even with warm temperatures, ski resorts fire up their snow guns