What's the Deal with Loveland?

Years ago, it was a treat to see more than a couple of telemarkers on your local mountain as telemarking remained mostly confined to the backcountry. Since then, telemarkers have taken to the resorts more, so much that there is now a US Telemark Ski Team who race in the World Cup and even a few are dabbling in terrain parks. No one is quite sure what has marked this transition, perhaps it is marketing, perhaps it is the development of laziness throughout the twenty first century, but nevertheless, there has been a change. Nowhere has this been more evident than at Loveland Ski Area in Colorado. This is not a negative observation, but a positive one. There is no place in Colorado that has as high of a concentration of telemark skiers than at any other resort than at Loveland.

At a recent day at Loveland, the day Chair 9 opened access to The Ridge, the lift line had an overwhelming presence of telemark skiers at a ratio of near 3:1 of tele to alpine. In the lift line the sense of the telemark community was never stronger. Smiles passed from person to person and talk of each others set ups sparked quickly. Runs were taken together and cheers were given from the lifts. It was a great day to witness, and then I realized that this is a typical day at Loveland.

Hailed as his home mountain, Eben Mond can be frequently found jumping off one of the many features, usually inverted. But Loveland is not only a place for the pros, but local heroes such as Charlie Ziskin and Lacy Meadows also call Loveland home. Simply put, Loveland is a Colorado Eden for telemark. Yet the question still remains, why?

Loveland not only is a small resort which even on a Saturday has few lines or crowds, but also has fun, spicy, lines and the locals favorite, “_________,” off of Chair ____ which always has some powder. Additionally, Loveland seems to have a respect and recognition for telemarkers that most resorts lack. With nearly monthly telemark clinics and events like the 3 Pin Grin and Corn Harvest, Loveland provides the telemark community with frequent opportunities to meet, ski, and drink. Additionally, in slopestyle competitions or rail jams, Loveland does something rarely experienced at non-telemark specific events… A telemark category. When one checks off their category of snowboarder or skier, next to them lies the option of telemark.

Loveland Ski Area is a telemark haven in Colorado. With unmatched support and fantastic terrain, Loveland calls to the emerging lazy resort lover developing in all of us. Just sixty miles from Denver, right outside the east exit of the Eisenhower Tunnel, even non-Coloradoans can fly into Denver International Airport and be up and skiing within two hours (baggage loss time not included). So if you find yourself lonely at your resort, make it up to Loveland, and experience the name.

Contributed by Natasha

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