The 2015-2016 Colorado resort ski season is officially underway as Loveland Ski Area and Arapahoe Basin Ski Area started spinning their lifts for the public today (October 29). I had the pleasure of taking a few turns at each resort this morning. The stoke was high, the employees were excited to get back to work, and the snow couldn't of been better for late-October resort skiing. 

I left Denver at 6:30am and arrived at Loveland Ski Area a little over an hour later. The sun was just beginning to show its colors as a strapped into my boots and walked up to the base area. After saying hello to a few of the front office employees, it was time to get in line to catch one of the first few chairs. 

We still had a little over an hour before the 9am start but there was already 12 anxious skiers and riders in the lift line. Numerous Denver news stations grabbed live shots for the folks at home, while the line continued to grow behind me. Time slowly ticked by but before we knew it, the clock was seconds away from 9am and the first three skiers/riders loaded the lift. They had been camped out at the base area since Monday night and finally, three nights and two days later, they were headed up the mountain on Lift 1. 

Along with a fellow Front Ranger and a Summit County local, I was able to snag the fifth chair up. The view of the snow-covered Continental Divide was spectacular as we quickly climbed to the summit of Lift 1. Then it was time to strap in and officially begin my 2015-2016 resort ski season. The fresh corduroy got better and better after each turn and I couldn't help but smile as I made my way back down to the base area. 

Before heading over Loveland Pass to the Basin I quickly jumped back in line for another lap. I cruised back down, took one more look up Lift 1, and then I was back in my Subaru and headed up Loveland Pass. As I made my way over the pass and down the other side, the iconic view of Arapahoe Basin came into view. This has to be one of my favorite views of any resort in Colorado. 

I once again strapped into my boots and walked down to the base area from the upper lot. And just like that, 25 minutes after getting off the mountain at Loveland, I was headed up the Black Mountain Express lift at Arapahoe Basin for another run. After cresting the steeper terrain of Exhibition, the East Wall came into view. The East Wall, to me, has a very similar look and feel to Little Cottonwood Canyon and Alta in Utah. Steep, rugged, and ready to play. 

After unloading Black Mountain Express, I strapped back into my Jones Snowboard for the final run of the day. With 1-2 feet of natural snow over the past week, plus around-the-clock snowmaking, the conditions were exceptional for opening day. 

And that was it, my first day of skiing for the 2015-2016 season was complete. Loveland and Arapahoe Basin will now be open everyday from 9am until 4pm. With more snow in the forecast for the foreseeable future, the Colorado resort season seems to be poised for a great start!

SAM COLLENTINE

P.S. Want to see your favorite resorts 2015-2016 ski season snow forecast? Details here: http://opsw.co/1OUJP0E