Another Colorado Ski Area Tests Snowmaking Amidst Warm and Dry Conditions

Loveland, one of several Colorado-based ski areas known for getting the ski season started early, fired up its snow guns for a water test run yesterday, October 9, 2024. See below.

Video: Loveland Ski Area, Colorado First Snowmaking Test, 10/9/24

^Video by Dustin Schaefer

While the effort was just a test, it teased winter’s impending arrival, much to the excitement of local skiers who crowded into the comment section to express their enthusiasm. Elsewhere in the state, Arapahoe Basin has also conducted a snowmaking test.

Denver-area skiers will likely be waiting for a bit longer before snowmaking begins in full, though. Weather throughout Colorado has been dry and warm which, unsurprisingly, isn’t conducive to blowing snow. That may change as the end of October arrives.

Chris Tomer, a forecaster popular amongst skiers, believes that a storm will hit Colorado between October 16th and 19th, bringing cold temperatures, and at some ski areas, significant amounts of early-season snowfall. His latest update, published this morning, called for as much as ten inches of snow at Eldora. Loveland, as of Tomer’s update, was forecasted to receive five inches.

Loveland Ski Area is currently angling to open between late-October and early-November, a stance which presumably takes into account the forecasted snowfall. Last ski season, they opened on November 10th. The ski area’s earliest opening date was September 30th, in 1951. During a typical year, Loveland begins making snow during the last week of September, and requires about two weeks of continuous snowmaking to open.

“Our snowmaking team is completing final maintenance on the snowguns and has conducted water tests. The team is closely monitoring the forecast and is ready to fire up the snowguns as soon as Mother Nature gives the go-ahead,” the ski area wrote in an update shared on October 9th.

NOAA’s current long-range seasonal outlooks indicate that, broadly, the next few months (October, November, December) in Colorado could be warm and dry. Much of the state falls within an area that has increased odds of higher than normal temperatures. The precipitation outlook is similarly bony—NOAA calls for a 33% to 40% chance of below average precipitation. Updated NOAA seasonal outlooks will be issued later this month. Perhaps they’ll contain better news for Colorado skiers.

Related: La Niña Odds Waver in Latest Update

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