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Arapahoe Basin, Loveland Ready To Open To Skiers

KEYSTONE, Colo. (AP/CBS4) -- Arapahoe Basin and Loveland will be the second and third Colorado ski resorts to open this season.

Arapahoe Basin says it plans to open Thursday, just 100 days after it closed on July 4. Arapahoe Basin says it will have an 18-inch base on an intermediate run. Several terrain park features will also be open.

"There's a lot of things that go into opening day. We start by making snow, we have a good week or so of that, so the weather has to be cold and it has to be dry. Then we have some natural snow that we have to add to that. Then we groom that snow out and we have to get the lifts ready. Get our staff hired and trained and a lot of things that go on in the background on the operational side," said A-Basin Director of Marketing and Sales Leigh Hierholzer.

Loveland says it will open Friday with an 18-inch base.

Wolf Creek Ski Area in southern Colorado was first in the state this season, opening Saturday.

Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort outside Las Vegas claims it was the first in the nation to open, beating Wolf Creek by 27 minutes.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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