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More US resorts open
Friday October 9, 2009 - Email this article to a friend
Now we don't want to get too carried away as it's not many, much is on artificial snow and the American PR machine has swung into action. But people are out riding for the first time this winter.
The 2009 -10 North American ski and snowboard season began on Wednesday at 2 resorts - Loveland in Colorado and Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort.
Never heard of the Las Vegas resort? No, neither have we.
The resort of Loveland opened at 9am on Wednesday morning, 2 days ahead of schedule and a week earlier than last year. The snow cannons laid the base and have been working as often as possible, but there has also been plenty of natural snow too.
Below is an image from Loveland as the ski patrol ensures all things are safe.
3 hours later at mid-day The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard resort swung into action.
It was all on man-made snow as the picture below shows, taken by Erin Dostal, but it does at least illustrate the temperature was cold enough to make the white stuff.
"It feels great to be up with the Colorado guys and this season is going to be great," said Craig Baldwin the resort's base operation manager.
The resort made snow for 14 hours on three consecutive nights. Dozens of people from Las Vegas came out to have the novelty of being one of the first US resorts to open. They rode, laughed and ate hamburgers.
"It's astronomical to be skiing in Las Vegas before Thanksgiving, let alone before Halloween," Savanna Jason, 22, told the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. She said the snow was a little sticky, but given the circumstances: "We'll take it." Last year it opened 7 weeks later following Thanksgiving.
This Friday the resorts of Arapahoe Basin in Colorado and Boreal in California will welcome skiers and snowboarders.
Loveland and Arapahoe Basin battle it out each year to open first, as we have already reported, and below is what it looks like in Arapahoe Basin at the moment from the resort web cams. It's getting there.
And it is not just artifical snow - there is the real stuff too.
The photo below shows the tracks of some hardy souls who skinned up Silverton Mountain in Colorado and then enjoyed their first powder turns of the season. Awesome stuff guys and thanks to Mountain Goats ski guides for the photo.
For the spirit of the mountains.
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