Snowboarding in Clear Creek

Snowboarding in Clear Creek

Loveland Ski Area

Loveland Ski Area has been Denver’s local mountain for over 70 years. Just 53 miles west of Denver on I-70, Loveland offers a classic ski experience you won’t find at any mega-resort. Situated high atop the Continental Divide, Loveland receives an average of 400” of snow each season, more than any resort in the Front Range or Summit County.

With 10 lifts and 92 trails, Loveland has something for every age and ability. For the intermediate/advanced skier or boarder, The Ridge off Chair 9 offers wide open bowls and powder packed chutes. For the beginners, Loveland Valley offers a separate, non intimidating learning area to work on your technique. And Loveland is bigger than you think. We hide the good stuff in the back of the mountain where vast blue skies and rolling, expansive terrain await your exploration.

Loveland Ski Area has affordable ticket and lesson packages that won’t break your budget.

Visit us online for more information at www.skiloveland.com

Loveland is located 12 miles west of Georgetown at Exit 216 off Interstate 70.

  • Loveland Ski Area Statistics:
  • Summit Elevation: 13,010′
  • Vertical Drop: 2,410′
  • Skiable Acres: 1,670
  • Annual Average Snowfall: 400″
  • Trails: 92
  • Lifts: 10
  • Beginner: 13%
  • Intermediate: 41%
  • Expert: 46%

Loveland Pass – Backcountry Snowboarding

You’ve no doubt driven by Loveland Pass, a pristine winter playground, several times on your way to one of Colorado’s many ski areas west of the Divide. While you’re paying $56 for groomed ice, those “in the know” have been enjoying the steep and deep for years – for FREE. On any given day, you might run into 20 other snowboarders and backcountry skiers in this huge bowl the size of most major ski areas.

Now, you’re thinking, for all this great terrain, I’ve got to hike for days, right? Wrong… Hiking is reduced to a minimal due to road access all the way to the top via Loveland Pass (US 6) and you can almost always get a quick lift back to the top with someone else. If you want the extreme, though, you’ll have to hike about an hour around the cirque. From here, you can also drop into Loveland Ski Area and enjoy a run down some steep and technical terrain.

The pass is usually ridable from November into July in most years. Avalanches are not a major concern until you begin hiking up and into the cirque, but carry a shovel and a beacon anyway. A little tip: Full moons are often the home of some super fun snowboarding with about 20-30 others.

Getting to Loveland Pass:
Drive I-70 West from Denver to the exit for Loveland Pass/Loveland Ski Area. Follow US 6 around and past the ski area to the top of the pass. From here, hop out of your car and drop in on either side. Note: The west side is usually more trafficked and safer from avalanches.

Echo Mountain Snowboard and Ski Park

Echo Mountain Snowboard and Ski Park is Colorado’s first area dedicated solely to snowboarding and freestyle skiing, with music, night riding and a lodge partly dedicated to video-gaming.

Echo Mountain is just 45 minutes west of Denver accessed by Exit 240 in Idaho Springs just past Mt. Evans Scenic Byway.

Music from the likes of Ludacris thumps across 30 acres of jumps and pipes built by Planet Snow Design and the 8000 square foot base lodge, with its austere industrial styling resembles a SoHo loft.

Echo Mountain is the newest model of ski area made up of nothing but rails, hits, jibs and jumps. Echo Mountain is the next step in the snowy new-school revolution sparked by young, flashy-belted hipsters who have married skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding and surfing into an urban aeronautical groove on snow.

www.EchoMtnPark.com for more info.