GEORGETOWN, Colo. -- It's a sign that winter is coming: Loveland Ski Area has started making snow on three runs.

"It has been cold up in the high country, but it didn’t look like we would get the temperatures necessary to start making snow until later in the week," said Eric Johnstone, Loveland’s snowmaking and trail maintenance manager. "We had all our guns placed on the hill and our crew was on standby, so we were ready to go when the temperatures dipped last night."

Loveland Ski Area has started making snow at midnight on the three trails: Catwalk, Mambo and Homerun. The trails form a top-to-bottom run of 1,000 vertical feet.

"We have been getting flooded with calls and e-mails from skiers and riders eager to start the ski season," said Rob Goodell, director of business operations. "We still have snow up on the peaks from the last storm and now we have some snow on our trails, too. Let the race begin!"

Snowmaking updates are available at Loveland's Web site. The site will be updated regularly with pictures and progress reports so visitors can get daily updates.