SAM Magazine - Boulder, Colo., Oct. 14, 2008-Arapahoe Basin and Loveland have agreed to a truce in the first-to-open war this year, as both will drop the ropes at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 15.

Over the past several years Arapahoe Basin and Loveland have jousted to win "first to open" honors in a competition that's been spirited and intense. For many years Loveland fired up the lifts sooner than any other ski area in the state. Six years ago, Arapahoe installed snowmaking and joined the game, and won it the past two seasons.

This year the annual race looks to end in a tie. "Once we both knew that we would open on the same day, it made sense to open at the same time," Loveland's John Sellers told SAM. "It has been pretty silly in the past, with Keystone turning their lights on and Copper opening for a day then closing."

The publicity value in being first to open is substantial, both resorts claim. How substantial? "In excess of a million dollars," Sellers said in a Denver Post article published earlier this week. \