Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset
Web Cams
Snow Report
& Forecast:
Time24hr48hrTotal
8:000"0"327"
Loveland Ski Area :: Colorado Ski Snowboarding Resort, Skiing Season Pass, Ski School
  • THE MOUNTAIN
    • CONDITIONS
      • SNOW REPORT & WEATHER
      • TRAIL & LIFT REPORT
      • TERRAIN PARK
      • TRAIL MAP & MOUNTAIN STATS
    • AMENITIES
      • MOUNTAIN DINING
      • SPORT SHOP
      • CHILD CARE
      • ON-MOUNTAIN CABINS
      • EVENTS
      • WEDDINGS AT LOVELAND
    • FAQ
      • HOURS & DIRECTIONS
      • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
      • WHY LOVELAND?
      • BASIN VS VALLEY
      • FIRST TIMER TIPS
    • POLICIES/PROGRAMS
      • UPHILL ACCESS
      • THE RIDGE CAT
      • SNOWCAT TOURS
      • MOUNTAIN SAFETY
      • MASTER PLAN
  • TICKETS & PASSES
    • LIFT TICKETS
    • SEASON PASSES
    • PRIVATE SKI LESSONS
      • Private Ski Lessons
    • RENTALS
  • RENTALS & LESSONS
    • ADULT LESSONS (15+)
      • GROUP LESSONS
      • PRIVATE LESSONS
      • FIRST-TIMER 3-CLASS PASS
      • YOUR LEVEL
    • CHILD LESSONS (4-14)
      • GROUP LESSONS
      • PRIVATE LESSONS
      • CHILD 3-CLASS PASS
      • YOUR LEVEL
    • SPECIAL PROGRAMS
      • 3-CLASS PASS
      • WINTER WIGGLERS
      • SPECIAL PROGRAMS & CLINICS
      • FAMILY PRIVATE
    • RENTALS
      • RENTAL SHOP
      • CLOTHING RENTALS
      • DEMO CENTER
      • SPORT SHOP
      • REPAIR SHOP
  • PLAN YOUR TRIP
    • GET HERE
      • HOURS & DIRECTIONS
      • TRAIL MAP & MOUNTAIN STATS
      • MOUNTAIN SAFETY
      • GROUP SALES
    • FAQ
      • FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
      • WHY LOVELAND?
      • BASIN VS VALLEY
      • FIRST TIMER TIPS
      • LODGING & ATTRACTIONS
    • AMENITIES
      • MOUNTAIN DINING
      • SPORT SHOP
      • CHILD CARE
      • ON-MOUNTAIN CABINS
      • EVENTS
      • ADA ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION
    • Newsletter & Snow Report
      • Sign Up Today
      • The Snow Down
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / History

HISTORY

1936-37        

Portable rope tow operations installed by J.C. Blickensderfer.

1937-38        

Operations at Loveland Ski Tow Company begin.

Operations are taken over by Al Bennett with a rope tow that was powered by a Model T engine.

1939-40        

Two rope tows “A Tow” and “Rainbow Tow” were added.

1941-42        

Named Loveland Ski Tow Inc.

“D Tow” and cleat track tractor added. The cleat track tractor hauled people to “D Tow” and was the only alternative to hiking up.

1946-47        

“A Tow” replaced with new rope tow.

“B Tow” (rope tow) added.

1948-49      

“C Tow” (rope tow) added. This tow filled the gap between the top of “B Tow” and bottom of “D Tow”.

1951-52        

September 30, 1951 – Loveland’s earliest opening for the season.

1955-56        

Stockholders purchase Loveland Ski Tow Inc. Partners: C.R. Upham, Jr, Al Bennett, Robert Murri, Bill Bolin, Pricilla Barnard.

Peter Seibert named new General Manager.

1956-57        

Lift 1 (double chair) was added.

1957-58        

Lift 2 (double chair) was added.

Ray Parker named new General Manager.

1958-59

“Mambo Cafe” opened near the bottom of current Chair 4.

“Fury Creek” was lost as the construction of Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel began.

1959-60        

Gorden Wren named new General Manager.

1961-62        

Loveland Valley, a separate area for beginners and Ski School, was constructed just east of Loveland Basin to add beginner terrain lost from the construction of the Eisenhower Tunnel and Interstate 70.

1965-66        

Otto Werlin named new General Manager.

1967-68        

Loveland became the first major ski area in Colorado to have snowmaking capabilities using diesel compressors from the construction of the Eisenhower Tunnel.

1984-85       

First season with snowmaking at Loveland Valley. 

1985-86

Lift 2 was replaced with a high capacity triple lift.

1989-90        

Loveland Valley base area got a facelift with a new building.

1990-91        

Lift 8 (fixed grip quad) opened accessing “Zip Basin”. It was named after Zipfelberger Ski Club who regularly hiked to the area for skiing in the 30’s.

1992-93        

Ken Abrahamson named new General Manager.

1995-96        

Loveland Basin’s main day lodge is remodeled and expanded.

Yearly record snowfall hit the area with 586 inches throughout the season.

1996-97        

Lift 3 is replaced with a fixed grip quad lift.

Rathskeller Bar was renovated.

1998-99        

Lift 9 is installed providing long awaited lift access to The Ridge. Reaching an altitude of 12,700 feet, Lift 9 was the highest chair lift in the world at the time.

2002-03        

Loveland Ski Area broke its 24-hour snowfall record 3 times during the March Blizzard. The final record for 24-hour snowfall was finally set from Tuesday at 1pm to Wednesday 1pm when Loveland received 36 inches of fresh powder.

2007-08

Bob Magrino named Director of Mountain Operations.

Robert Goodell named Director of Business Operations.

2010-11        

Second most snowfall in one season. Loveland received 568 inches of total snowfall.

2011-12        

Lift 4 was replaced with a fixed-grip  triple.

E Tow Cabin was renovated.

2012-13        

Loveland Ski Area celebrates its 75th Anniversary.

Unload station added to mid-way Lift 2.

The Ptarmigan Roost & Rock House cabins are renovated and expanded. The Ptarmigan Roost Cabin now offers food service and restrooms.

Loveland acquires 20 passenger Ridge Cat and offers free snowcat tours along The Ridge.

2013-14

Basin Lodge expansion adds 200 additional seats.

2014-15

The Ginny Lee Cabin opened off Lift 8 and provides skiers and riders with a warming hut and restrooms on the north side of the mountain.

New magic carpet surface lift is installed at Loveland Valley.

Basin Cafeteria renovation is completed.

2015-16

Lift 2 reconfiguration is completed. Existing lift is shortened to the mid-way point and a new fixed grip triple lift is installed to service the upper terrain. The new lift, Ptarmigan Lift, provides more efficient access to terrain previously served by Lift 2.

Poma surface lift is removed.

2018-19

Loveland replaced Lift 1 with its first high-speed lift, Chet’s Dream. The new high-speed quad from Leitner Poma was named in honor of Loveland’s patriarch, Chester R. (Chet) Upham, Jr. (May 19, 1925 – January 24, 2008). Chet’s Dream cut the ride time from around 9 minutes to just under 3 minutes.

Loveland Ski Area Story Link: https://skiloveland.com/chets-dream/

2022-2023

Lift 6 was replaced with a fixed-grip  triple.

Loveland Ski Area longtime owner and ski industry pioneer Chester(Chet) R. Upham Jr inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Museum & Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

Loveland Ski Area completed a massive expansion of the Valley Lodge and facilities that has tripled the amount of seating capacity in the cafeteria, significantly expanded the Rental Shop, and provided the Ski & Ride School with a new Children’s Center and addtional capacity to accommodate more guests during the check-in process.

Loveland Snowcat Tours launched in February of 2022 offering full-day guided backcountry snowcat trips in Dry Gulch, just east of Lift 8. Intermediate and expert skiers and snowboarders can explore 580 acres of open bowl skiing with expert guides from Loveland’s Ski Patrol. Trips run Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays January through April as conditions permit.

2023-2024

Loveland Ski Area begins to offer summer events in the newly renovated and expanded lodge at Loveland Valley. With beautiful mountain views and space for up to 300 guests, Loveland Valley offers a charming mountain setting for weddings and special events throughout the summer months.

  • Media Center
  • Overview
  • History
  • Story Ideas
  • Press Releases
  • Images

Contact Info:

MAILING ADDRESS:
PO Box 899
Georgetown, CO 80444

PHONE:
(303) 571-5580
(800) 736-3SKI

General E-mail:
Loveland@skiloveland.com

E-News & E-Snow Sign Up

Instructor Login

Directions:

Loveland is only 53 miles west of Denver (just before the Eisenhower tunnel) and 12 miles east of Summit County on I-70, at Exit 216.

DIRECTIONS2

FOLLOW US:


Facebook


twitter


Instagram


YouTube


TikTok

POPULAR LINKS:

MEDIA

EMPLOYMENT

HOURS & DIRECTIONS

LOVELAND SKI CLUB

DONATION REQUESTS

coloradoSkiCountry
ricoh
US-Forest-Service
RB-USAdotCom
coke

©2025 Clear Creek Skiing Corporation

Scroll to top

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and analyze our traffic.
By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies.

Accept AllReject AllSettings

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies
Essential Website Cookies
Google Analytics Cookies
Other external services
Other cookies
How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Accept AllReject AllHide notification only
Open Message Bar
25/26 SEASON PASSES FOR SALE
Buy Now!
This is default text for notification bar
Learn more

Notifications