Colorado Skiing - The Race To Be First

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by: Paul la Vella
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Word Count: 684
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 Time: 5:32 AM
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Colorado's annual race to have the first ski resort open in North America resumed again this year for the 2009/10 ski season - ski holiday resort owners and their marketing teams have created a bit of competition among the world's ski resorts in recent years to see which is best as voted for by visitors - and the first competition of the year is quickly becoming one to see who is ready to open first.

Resort employees focus on quality work and snowmaking first. The first ski area openings always generate a lot of buzz around the winter sport loving community.

Which North American ski resort was the first to open for the 2009/10 ski season? Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, both in Colorado, had been in close competition for several weeks. Each resort was preparing to open their doors before the other.

And The North American For 2009 Winner Is...

Loveland in Colorado.

And this year Loveland not only was the first of the ski holidays resorts to open first - it was the earliest for 40 years, with Loveland officially open October 7 2009.

Last year it was a tie between Arapahoe Basin and Loveland when they opened on October 15 with both areas racing frantically to win - both resorts decided to call it a tie and open at the same time.

Several nights provided perfect below-freezing temperatures to start the snowmakers and a good base for the rest of the winter. "We're all very excited. We're champing at the bit," said spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer at the time.

Just days before the competition ended, Loveland's marketing and communications manager, Kathryn Johnson said, "We're getting close. We have been making snow for two weeks now, but right now we don't have our 18-inch base."

But Loveland won by two days this year, with Arapahoe Basin opening two days later. Still an impressive six days advance on their 2008 efforts.

Representatives of each resort admit having a specific strategy and driving past the other to see progress. Kimberly Trembearth, marketing and interactive coordinator for Arapahoe Basin, said, "We might drive over the pass and have a look at what (Loveland) is doing." John Sellers, director of marketing for Loveland, shared a similar poker strategy, "I may drive over (Loveland) pass instead of taking the Eisenhower tunnel home... just to see what sort of activity A-Basin is up to."

John Sellers agreed with the statement by Kimberly Trembearth, "It just comes down to temperature, We can't control mother nature. We open when we can and only when we can offer the best conditions for boarders and skiers. If we happen to be first, all the better." Neither ski area was willing to sacrifice the experience of their first skiers of the season by opening prematurely.

Other Colorado resorts that have ski holidays depend primarily on pre-booked traffic have set opening dates. Dates are as follows:

* Aspen Highlands: December 12

* Breckenridge: November 12

* Copper Mountain: November 6

* Steamboat: November 25

* Telluride: November 26

* Vail: November 20

* Winter Park: November 18

Other Areas Promoting the Race to Open

Several resorts in Nevada, Canada and the East Coast are planning to open at various times in November. The races to open are highly anticipated and always considered a friendly competition. Each resort focuses on the ability to lay a good base of snow before calling success. Of course higher-elevation resorts often finish first.

Early season snow in the Alps could give some French ski resorts an advantage over their counterparts. Resorts located high in the Alps and Pyrenese Mountains are making plans to open earlier than normal, but it has not been determined if they will open in mid or late November. The ski resort race to open competition has been an invigorating opening for this year's ski holidays season, and there is a real buzz looking forward to this winter.

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