Colorado’s first ski areas are making snow for winter 2017-18

Loveland Ski Area and Arapahoe Basin, typically among the first resorts to open in Colorado, have fired up their snowmaking guns.

Loveland started after midnight on Monday with hopes of opening by mid- to late October. Arapahoe Basin made snow for 12 hours between Sunday and Monday.

Meanwhile, mountains across the state have at least seen a dusting of snow from the recent burst of cool, wet weather, and some were scheduling career fairs for the season ahead.

Last year, A-Basin started making snow on Oct. 3 and opened the mountain on Oct. 21; its earliest opening ever was Oct. 8, according to The Denver Post.

Loveland started making snow on the night of Oct. 3 for a Nov. 7 opening in 2016. It’s still impossible to say whether this early start to snowmaking will result in earlier riding.

Weather scientists expect that La Niña may be in effect this winter, but it hasn’t historically had much of an impact on Colorado’s ski season.