History
Loveland was first opened as a ski area in 1936 by J.C. Blickensderfer. Mr. Blickensderfer installed a portable tow rope in what is now Loveland Basin. The following year, operations were taken over by Al Bennett who used a modified Model T to power the tow. In 1941 the area was named Loveland Ski Tow Inc. and through the 40’s the area grew to boast 4 tows.
Many changes occurred during the 1950s and 1960s which made the Ski area much more accessible. In 1955, Loveland Ski Tow Inc. was purchased by stockholders and Pete Seibert, the future co-founder of the Vail Ski Resort, was hired as General Manager. Loveland's first chairlift, Chair 1, opened in 1955. Chair 2 was added in 1957, as was the Mambo Café, which was situated near the base of what is now Chair 4. Loveland saw the construction of the Eisenhower Tunnel beginning in 1968, with tunnel openings in 1973 and 1979. Chairs 3 and 4 were also constructed during the 1960s. In 1970, the Wichita State University football team plane crashed near there, killing 31 of the 36 aboard.
The 1980s and 1990s brought about several upgrades to existing equipment. In 1984, snow-making capabilities were installed. In 1985 the #2 Chair was upgraded to a high capacity Lift Engineering Yan triple. The late 80's also saw the construction of expanded lodge facilities at the Valley area. The #8 Chair, a fixed grip quad, was installed to access intermediate and advanced terrain in 1990. In 1995 the Basin’s lodge was remodeled and expanded. Lift #3 was replaced in 1996 with a Poma High Capacity Quad. 1998 saw the installation of Lift #9 which provided access, one of the highest chairlifts in the world, to "The Ridge".
In 2011, #4 Chair was torn down and replaced with a Leitner-Poma 250 Alpha 80 Fixed Triple Chair. The last two people to ride the old #4 chair received 2011-2012 season passes.
Read more about this topic: Loveland Ski Area
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