Loveland Ski Area snowmaking for the 2026-27 ski season is now approximately 100 days away, the Colorado resort announced yesterday. Loveland shared the update on social media, noting the timeline is based on when snowmaking has traditionally begun at the mountain.
The resort shared the update on social media Thursday, noting the timeline is based on when snowmaking has traditionally begun at Loveland. As always, the resort cautioned that temperatures and conditions will ultimately determine when the snow guns fire up.
Loveland Snowmaking 2026: Late September Is the Target
Loveland’s snowmaking team typically starts making snow in the last week of September, targeting an opening in mid-October to early November. Last season, snowmaking began on Oct. 13, 2025, five days earlier than the prior year, with the resort opening Nov. 8, 2025, for its 88th season.
function sbSubscribe() {
var email = document.getElementById(‘sb-email’).value;
if (!email || !email.includes(‘@’)) {
document.getElementById(‘sb-email’).style.borderColor = ‘#D7424E’;
return;
}
var url = ‘https://snowbrains.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a&id=bcbf6caf6b&f_id=003bf2e0f0’;
var data = new FormData();
data.append(‘EMAIL’, email);
data.append(‘tags’, ‘2188762’);
data.append(‘b_1f247afab0a546e393c022f9a_bcbf6caf6b’, ”);
fetch(url, { method: ‘POST’, body: data, mode: ‘no-cors’ });
document.getElementById(‘sb-form-wrap’).style.display = ‘none’;
document.getElementById(‘sb-success’).style.display = ‘block’;
}
240 Acres, 18 Inches Deep: How Loveland Builds Its Base
The resort has a long-standing reputation for producing some of the best early-season conditions in Colorado. Situated at 10,800 feet, Loveland makes snow across 240 acres of terrain, covering trails including Catwalk, Mambo, and Home Run for a top-to-bottom experience with an 18-inch base. Snowmaking is typically completed by early December.
The Race to Open: Loveland’s Rivalry with Arapahoe Basin
Loveland has historically competed with Arapahoe Basin for the title of first resort to open in North America each season, with both Colorado resorts vying annually for early-season bragging rights.
From 1982 through 2001, Loveland was the first to open ten times, and Keystone was the first 10 times. However, three of Keystone’s wins were photo finishes when both areas opened on the same day, and Keystone used its lights to open before sunrise, getting a jump on Loveland by two or three hours in the quest for bragging rights, according to the Denver Post. Then, in 2002, Arapahoe Basin installed snowmaking equipment. From 2003 through 2018, Arapahoe Basin was the first Front Range area to open nine times, Loveland was first five times, and they tied twice. Wolf Creek, a small area 250 miles from Denver in southern Colorado, actually beat both of them four times since 2011, thanks to ample early natural snowfall.
Here is a list of the first resorts to open over the last 15 years or so:
- 25/26: Keystone, Colorado – October 25
- 24/25: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 23
- 23/24: Ski Ward, Massachusetts – October 22
- 22/23: Wild Mountain, Minnesota – October 18
- 21/22: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 16
- 20/21: Wild Mountain, Minnesota – October 19
- 19/20: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 11
- 18/19: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 13
- 17/18: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 13
- 16/17: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 21
- 15/16: Killington, Vermont – October 18
- 14/15: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 17
- 13/14: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 13
- 12/13: Wild Mountain, Minnesota – October 18
- 11/12: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 11
- 10/11: Sunday River, Maine – October 23
- 09/10: Loveland, Colorado – October 6
- 08/09: Loveland, Colorado – October 7
Track Loveland Snowmaking Progress for 2026-27
Skiers and riders can monitor snowmaking progress at skiloveland.com/snowmaking.
Loveland is part of the Indy Pass for 2026–27, which provides two days of skiing at each of 300-plus independently owned ski areas worldwide. Loveland season passholders also gain access to partner resorts through the Powder Alliance, including favorites such as Monarch, Purgatory, Schweitzer, Whitefish, Sunlight, Powderhorn, Red Lodge, and Diamond Peak.
