It appears that the battle is over ladies and gents. Loveland and A-Basin will both open tomorrow morning… hallelujah. After two weeks of “all-nighter” snowmaking, who would have thought that these two rivals would tie? While it is very exciting that we will have the choice between two different mountains tomorrow, I must admit, I was hoping for a distinct winner and loser. My hopes and dreams did not materialize. Rather, both crews put in an unfathomable amount of effort to make this opening day crazy and apparently, occur on October 15th at 8:30 AM.

Both mountains may open at the same time tomorrow, but which has better conditions? What will set these competitors apart on opening day? Check out these pictures of Loveland’s snowmaking progress, or go to A-Basin’s website, ArapahoeBasin.com for their most up to date photos. Perhaps what sets these mountains apart the most is price. Loveland is $5 cheaper than A-Basin, not a huge savings, but that $5 could go toward a warm cup of hot cocoa that I have a feeling you’ll be needing if tomorrow’s chilly. I leave it up to you.

Here is some more specific opening day information to aid you in your decision-making…

Loveland

• Opens At: 8:30 AM
• Lift Ticket Price: $44 (ages 15 and older)
• Travel Time from Boulder: 1 hr 24 min (approx.)

A-Basin

• Opens At: 8:30 AM
• Lift Ticket Price: $49 (ages 20 and older); $44 (ages 15 – 19)
• Travel Time from Boulder: 1 hr 45 min (approx.)

So now that you’ve got all the info, what’s the hold up? Get that cash together you’ve been saving up working nasty restaurants jobs, wax up your skis, and prepare to ride tomorrow and many days after. Be sure to get up there early, I’m guessing there will be many CU students skipping classes just to ski a few runs. Even if there’s traffic it will be worth the wait. I guarantee it will be just the thing to cure that itch for skiing you’ve had all summer long. Not to mention, it’ll get you stoked for the rest of the season.

Whether you choose to ride Loveland or the “Hoe”, make sure that you’ve got your tickets or season passes all lined up. Loveland still has 4-Paks on sale on their website, skiloveland.com, and at a ski show near you (check their website for more details)! And for all you rich kids out there, the Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass (includes A-Basin, Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Heavenly) is still available until November 15th for the bargain price of $579; so get on that before it’s too late!

Happy riding! See you out there.