Loveland snowmaking crews tested snowguns on September 29, a sign that winter is getting closer in Colorado. The Trail Maintenance and Snowmaking teams, led by manager Bobby Babeon, ran water through the snowmaking system, serviced the guns, and checked equipment so everything is ready when conditions allow. The ski area did not make snow because temperatures remain too warm.
Loveland snowmaking typically starts in early October
Loveland usually begins making snow around the beginning of October, once temperatures and humidity stay consistently favorable. The start date shifts from year to year. Crews fired up the guns around midnight on October 13, 2025, which was ahead of the previous season, when snowmaking began on October 18, 2024. This year’s start will also mark 60 years since snowmaking began at Loveland.
Six decades of snowmaking in Colorado
Loveland began small-scale snowmaking in 1966. During the 1967–68 season, it became the first major ski area in Colorado with snowmaking, using diesel compressors from the Eisenhower Tunnel construction. The equipment has changed a great deal since then, and the system now covers more than 240 acres. Loveland says the crews behind the guns remain at the center of the operation, working through cold nights, early mornings, and high winds.
What the crew builds first
Once conditions allow, the team works around the clock, starting with a top-to-bottom run, tree to tree, with a base of about 18 inches of packed snow. Loveland’s high elevation and experienced crew have helped it build a tradition of early-season skiing and riding. Snowmaking typically continues into early to mid-December as crews expand coverage and supplement natural snowfall.
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Opening day outlook
Loveland is targeting a mid-October to early-November opening, weather and conditions permitting. The ski area opened on November 8 in 2025 and is always in the race to be first in North America to open for the season.
