With almost 3 feet of new snow last week, Loveland Ski Area was packed Sunday with elated skiers and snowboarders who bid the season a fond farewell.
For its final day of the 2004-05 season, Loveland reported a 70-inch base, with 9 inches of fresh powder.
By noon, three of the area’s four parking lots had filled, and the fourth was filling quickly.
“The snow conditions are great, and the crowds are wonderful,” Loveland spokeswoman Ainsley Kasten said.
On the west side of Loveland Pass on Sunday, the parking lots at Arapahoe Basin were full by noon, with people parking at Keystone Resort and taking a bus up to the ski area, said Leigh Hierholzer, A-Basin spokeswoman.
Skiers and snowboarders enjoyed 3 feet of new snow from the previous week and 6 new inches that fell overnight Saturday.
A-basin will remain open until June 5, so the late-season snow is welcome.
“Good times. Good snow,” said Greg Davis of Denver, who spent Sunday at A-Basin. “This is the best I’ve seen this late in the season, for sure.”
Officials at Silverton ski area, which reported 15 inches of new snow Saturday, plan to close June 15.
Unlike the snowfall in the mountains, the Denver metro area received a damp and drizzly mix of snow and rain on Sunday.
The region will see spring gloom for at least one more day, with mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature in the 40s today. Highs are expected to be in the 60s and 70s on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Mountain areas will continue to see snow showers early this week, the Weather Service said.
A series of late-week storms pushed statewide snowpack to 104 percent of average as of Sunday. Snowpack in the South Platte River Basin, which supplies the majority of the water for the Denver area, was at 89 percent of average.
Staff writer Bianca Prieto can be reached at 303-820-1201 or bprieto@denverpost.com.
