Loveland Ski Area
Encyclopedia
Georgetown, Colorado
The historic town of Georgetown is a Territorial Charter Municipality that is the county seat of Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. The former silver mining camp along Clear Creek in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains was established in 1859 during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The area is one of the closest to the Denver metropolitan area and Front Range corridor, making it popular with locals. It is located within the Arapahoe National Forest.
The company is operated by Virginia Lee Upham of Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, widow of previous owner Chet Upham
Chet Upham
Chester Robert Upham, Jr., known as Chet Upham , was an oil and natural gas businessman from Mineral Wells, Texas, who served as the chairman of the Texas Republican Party from 1979–1983, corresponding with the first gubernatorial administration of his friend, William P. "Bill" Clements, Jr...
.
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 chairliftChairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, are now serviced by bus. The Area is one of Colorado’s highest ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
areas with a summit of 13010 ft (3,965.4 m) and the second highest lift served areas in North America at 12697 ft (3,870 m). The ski area takes its name from Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass
Loveland Pass, elevation 11,990 ft. above sea level, is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado, U.S.A.....
, which separates it from the Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin is a ski area for alpine skiing high in White River National Forest of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Arapahoe Basin is also known for its especially long season—often staying open until early July, whereas most other northern ski areas close in early May...
ski area.
It is situated on the East side of the Eisenhower Tunnel
Eisenhower Tunnel
The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel, is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel approximately west of Denver, Colorado, United States. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. With a maximum elevation of above sea...
, through which I-70 crosses the Continental Divide. Because of its lofty elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
, Loveland is typically one of the first ski areas to open and carried the title for 6 straight seasons until A-Basin
Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin is a ski area for alpine skiing high in White River National Forest of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Arapahoe Basin is also known for its especially long season—often staying open until early July, whereas most other northern ski areas close in early May...
won the race in the 2006 season. In 2008, the two areas tied, both opening on October 15. Also due to its location and elevation, it often has shorter lift lines and less-expensive lift tickets, but at the expense fewer trails and on-site amenities. Its unique location atop the Continental Divide and volume of natural snow makes Loveland one of the best places in Colorado to ski powder.
Loveland Basin Ski Area
The Basin is the larger of the two areas that comprise of Loveland Ski Area. It features a vertical drop of 2410 feet (734.6 m), a base of 10800 feet (3,291.8 m) and a summit of 13010 feet (3,965.4 m). The Basin is home to 6 of the 8 lifts and 85% of the total skiable acres. Another feature of the Basin is the vast amount of terrain which is above 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 12697 feet (3,870 m) and is hikeable to the summit at 13010 feet (3,965.4 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
Terrain park
A terrain park is an outdoor area that contains terrain that allows skiers and snowboarders to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. One of the first in-bounds terrain parks was the "Snowboard Park" built in 1990 at the Vail...
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 2 chair lifts, one serving its intermediate runs and another that exclusively serves its beginner slope, All Smiles. 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 Lift #3.
There is also a big race that happens at Loveland Valley every year called the Loveland Derby
Loveland Derby
The Loveland Derby is the last amateur slalom ski race of the year that happens every year at the Loveland Ski Area near Georgetown, Colorado. It is the largest and oldest ski race in North America and is put on by the Loveland Racing Club...
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
Pete Seibert
Peter W. Seibert was an American skier and the founder of Vail Ski Resort in Colorado. In 1980 he was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame....
, the future co-founder of the Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort
Vail Ski Resort is located in Eagle County, Colorado, next to the town of Vail. Vail Mountain, at , is the largest single mountain ski resort in the United States, featuring seven bowls and intermediate gladed terrain in Blue Sky Basin...
, 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. Loveland saw the construction of the Eisenhower Tunnel
Eisenhower Tunnel
The Eisenhower Tunnel, officially the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel, is a dual-bore, four-lane vehicular tunnel approximately west of Denver, Colorado, United States. The tunnel carries Interstate 70 under the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. With a maximum elevation of above sea...
beginning in 1968, with tunnel openings in 1973 and 1979. Chairs 3 and 4 were also constructed during the 1960s. In 1970, the Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team plane crashed near there, killing 31 of the 36 aboard.
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
Lift Engineering
Lift Engineering, more commonly known as Yan Lifts, was a major ski lift manufacturer in North America. Founded in 1965 and based in Carson City, Nevada, the firm came under scrutiny by state safety officials after a fatal accident in 1985, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July...
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
Poma
Poma, also known as Pomagalski S.A. is a French company, specialising in construction of cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, people movers, and surface lifts. Poma has installed more than 7800 devices on five continents,...
High Capacity Quad
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
. 1998 saw the installation of Lift #9 which provided access, on of the highest chairlifts in the world, to
"The Ridge".
In 2011, #4 Chair was torn down and replaced with a Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma
Leitner-Poma of America is a North American aerial lift manufacturer based in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is the North American subsidiary of French-based Poma, which is owned by the Italian company Leitner Technologies, part of the Leitner Group. The North American company was formed in 2000 when...
250 Alpha 80 Fixed Triple Chair. The last two people to ride the old #4 chair received 2011-2012 season passes.
External links
- MySpace.com - Loveland
- Ski Loveland.com - official site
- 3dSkiMaps.com - Loveland Ski Area - 3-D map
- http://www.skiloveland.com/chair4/ - New #4 Chair Development