Loveland Ski Area Colorado Review
Loveland Ski Area Colorado Review
Loveland Ski Area Website: http://skiloveland.com/
Rating: ★★★ (3.5/5 Stars)
Summary: Loveland Ski Area is pretty hard to miss if you have ever driven through the Continental Divide in Colorado. Loveland Basin surrounds the east side tunnel that transports highway traffic from I-70 to the west side of the divide. Loveland Basin offers two main areas to ski or board: Loveland Valley and Loveland Basin. Both areas are part of the same resort, but Loveland Pass Road (CO Rt 6) divides the two separate portions of the mountain. The valley portion of the ski area is designated for beginner skiers and snowboarders. Since Loveland is right on the Continental Divide, many storms that come through the area tend to favor Loveland on the accumulation side. This allows Loveland Ski Area to always be one of the first mountains to open and last to close (generally October-May season). The terrain is nothing that will make you pee your pants in terror (unless you go to Wild Child or some of the Rock Chutes), but it does offer a wide variety for the double black and extreme trails for skiers and riders at a higher level of skill. When visiting Loveland, be sure to check the weather. Since most of the mountain is exposed, you will want to make sure the visibility and winds are acceptable for your level of tolerance.
Strengths: Similar to Vail, but without the high price tag, Loveland Ski Area is one of my favorite places to go on a powder day. The tremendous amount of open bowls and terrain make for endless fresh runs of deep powder no matter the crowd size or time of day. Speaking of crowd size, I have found that Loveland sometimes avoids the larger crowds that some of the surrounding “Epic” mountains have. Piggybacking off the smaller crowd aspect, Loveland does offer a nice environment (both terrain and lack of large crowds) for someone looking to learn to ski or board. Loveland Ski Area is also on the east side of the Eisenhower tunnel. This is HUGE positive if the weather or traffic is bad because you do not have to wait for tunnel metering on the other side of the divide. This could be a huge time saver if driving back into the Denver area. My other favorite aspect of Loveland is the north/east part of the mountain. If you like to ski steep terrain, (some accessed by hiking, some by snowcat), check out the Golden Bear Peak area of the mountain. There are some extremely steep trails up here and in many cases a great place to visit a few days after a storm and still earn fresh turns. According to Roots Rated, one of Colorado’s steepest runs is at Loveland, Wild Child.
Weaknesses: Loveland’s runs tend to be pretty short compared to some its surrounding competitors. This is not always a bad thing (getting your legs under you for the season or learning the sport) but it certainly is something to mention. For those looking to get in a day of 25,000+ of elevation gain, Loveland Ski Area might not be your best bet. I have found myself putting in a full day and scratching my head at the relatively small elevation gain I had. Similar to neighboring A-Basin, Loveland is less commercial so you lose the convenience of having many surrounding restaurants or bars if that is something that is important to you (your closest options, outside of resort food, will be in Georgetown or Idaho Springs). Loveland is also not great for a pure tree or glades day. Obviously there are some on the mountain, but I would not consider this a shining strength of the ski area. Since the top of Loveland is rather exposed, winds can be an issue whether it be blowing snow, visibility, or simply making you colder.
Mick’s Tip: One of the shining bright spots at Loveland is the FREE (take note Keystone) snowcat rides to the northern bowls. These rides only access expert terrain, but this is truly a unique opportunity to ski or board some untouched real estate along the Continental Divide. You do need a pass to ride the snowcat, so be sure to visit the ticket office to pick that up before heading up the slopes.
Parking: There is free parking at main basin area and another few free lots at Loveland Valley (beginner area of mountain). The lots at the Loveland Valley area do have a free shuttle to the other portion of the mountain.
2 thoughts on “Loveland Ski Area Colorado Review”
Any tips for first time out west skier and snow boarder? We live on the east coast and my son and I are coming to Colorado for the first time! We ski/board mainly ice and man made snow🙄 We picked Loveland for our first day trip!
Signed a nervous Mom and pumped teenager!
Hey Becky,
From the east coast myself so very used to those conditions! Assuming you are out this season, expect our typical spring time conditions here. Mornings usually are firm and a bit icy from the freeze overnight but in 2-3 hours, the mountain turns soft and its my favorite type of snow. If you get lucky, we get some great powder in the spring usually as well. Loveland is a great mountain with loads of terrain to explore, have fun!