Loveland: A Resistant Gem Unshaken
A dream come true: boarding down with his husky full sprint tongue out right beside him into the Fire Bowl of Loveland on a perfect day on his home mountain; Andrew Aleman, a local snowboarder, holds many memories at this hidden gem for Colorado locals.
Learning how to board here, he started with greens and blues on the “valley side” turned into hiking into the bowls with “tons of untouched runs” and getting into backcountry, said Aleman.
Right before the Eisenhower tunnel on I-70, Loveland Ski Resort is one of the last privately run ski resorts in Colorado to find itself differentiating from more enormous multi-mountain companies such as Vail and Alterra.
Shayna Freidman, a Colorado local and member of the big mountain team in Loveland, has a passion for her community and goes out every Saturday to ride with her team.
“It’s such a community thing too. And so, that’s really special, I think,” Friedman said. “Having that everywhere you look at someone or someone like a friend of a friend and which is kind of a little community.”
Freidman’s desire for a community among other skiers is the difference that makes Loveland a different experience versus more enormous mountains that track a more significant tourist scene.
Supporting local mountains such as this one strengthens the community entirely and keeps the resort alive.
“I enjoy the smaller mountains that aren’t on, the bigger passes,” said India Simmons, a Loveland season pass holder. “You get to explore hidden gems no one knows about, which means they are less crowded.”
Price along with high tourism is another factor that sets Loveland apart from the multi-mountain pass competitors.
“Since they’re smaller mountains, their day tickets don’t cost an arm and a leg,” said Aleman. “I know Colorado’s economy runs on ski tourism, so it’s inevitable, but it’s nice having a few local places to avoid it.”
Aleman said that as the cheapest out of all the resorts, they also have a frequent skier card, making it easier for a skier or boarder not entirely ready to invest a pass to be still able to shred some powder.
Simmons said the prices are great, catching a great deal every time you decide to go, and they can print a new pass out every time you choose to visit.
As a controversial subject, companies such as Alterra and Vail are purchasing out smaller ski resorts and adding them to their multi-mountain pass, racking up the prices on skiers and boarders’ home mountains.
Vail has bought smaller mountain resorts on the East Coast this past season alone to uphold their competition with their main competitor Alterra.
If it were to happen to Loveland, it would change the landscape and the community.
“I would be deeply saddened if Loveland was bought out or partnered with one of the big two,” said Aleman. “I’ve seen what happens when Vail buys out a smaller mountain, and it’s never fun for the locals.”
“If our mountain is dying off. In a sense, they came in and put and saved it, which sucks, but it was also a really good thing, so if it was that situation, I think I’d be excited to keep skiing there,” said Freidman. “But any other situation, I think there would be a lot of it would just be really tough to wrap my mind around.”
With such a different experienced offered from the Loveland, they have distanced “from that image of Vail Resorts and the big civic guys,” curating to a whole contrasted customer basis, Freidman said.
Although this is a fear, the Loveland community will not have to worry about curating memories for many but not this season.
Due to COVID-19, more and more residents are getting out of their houses and seeking to experience hobbies they would’ve none the less done with being stuck in an office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; this created more opportunities to pursue hobbies.
“So, we’ve definitely seen a lot more people who are realizing like this place is an hour from Denver, said Freidman, “It’s cheap, it’s easy.”
This ski resort isn’t going anywhere soon.
