First chair of 2009/2010, baby! Literally. You can almost sense the stoke factor. Photo courtesy: Josh Duplechian.

It’s official, the 2009/2010 ski season has begun. Colorado’s Loveland Ski Resort switched on Chair 1 this morning around 9 a.m., becoming the very first mountain—Aristotle’s “primary mover”—to do so in North America. Thanks to a viral firestorm of Tweets, Facebook updates and video-blog announcements, a modest crowd and four local news crews were already gathered at the base at 8:30. The sun was out.

Now, make no mistake: Some opening days are more historic than others. And since this one is just getting underway, much remains to be seen … and skied. Therefore, some historical context is worth noting:

In Colorado particularly, claiming “first” is a big deal. It’s usually a battle of Loveland vs. Arapahoe Basin, two high-altitude neighbors along Colorado’s Continental Divide. Last year these resorts tied on Oct. 15. In 2007, A-Basin won, ending a 6-year streak for Loveland. Rivarly aside, today’s Oct. 7 opening date marks Loveland’s earliest opening in 40 years.

Opening days are always a celebration for dedicated skiers and riders, but it’s just the beginning. Consider Loveland’s offerings today: One run, one lift, one thousand feet of vertical, one rail (or box), and one slope-difficulty rating (green: Catwalk to Mambo to Home Run). The snow is mostly man-made and it’s laid 18 inches deep from “trees to trees” over a mile-plus long track, says Loveland’s marketing director, John Sellers.

“It’s not quite the so-called the White Ribbon of Death,” says Sellers. “Our snowmakers take a lot of pride in the work they do and they’ve been working hard to take back the title this year. But I also want to stress that [with respect to A-Basin] it is a friendly competition. They’re our neighbors across the pass.”

A-Basin, meanwhile, opens Friday.

It was only Tuesday that Loveland decided open this morning, and word spread quickly. “The decision was made around 1:00 p.m,” says Sellers. “It’s amazing the response we’ve gotten online.”

While Colorado began seeing early season snowstorms just over two weeks ago, Sellers credited the super early-bird opening to cold temperatures that were ideal snow-making conditions. “We started making snow September 1, which was three days earlier than last year. We did have some warm-ups, too, but when it was cold our guys were productive. And now we’re looking at opening a week earlier than last year,” says Sellers.

It’s always difficult to predict how many people will show up. Or what they’ll be wearing. “It’s hard to say with the crowds. How many people can get out of work on a Wednesday? But we’ll have hundreds, potentially a thousand. Being the first to open will definitely increase the crowd. We’re the only game in town,” says Sellers. There were around 40 enthusiastic skiers and riders lined up before the lift fired up, but the numbers will climb as the day goes on.

“It’s pretty exciting. You can feel it in the air. People get lined up early and they’ve got big smiles on their faces. It’s huge for Colorado to kick off the ski season for North America.”

Tickets to Loveland are $44 for adults and $21 for kids.

via EXPN