First thing’s first: first chair.
“It wasn't that cold last night, even though we were very freezing, it wasn't that cold,” Ben Hoffman said.
“We’ve been here since 4 p.m. yesterday!” Lucy Rand said. She and Hoffman were first in line at Payday Express Friday morning.
But the very first people at either base were a couple of 17-year-old Wasatch High School students. They were in the front of the line at the Red Pine Gondola and broke the banner at the top of Saddleback Express.
The two skiers from Heber said they skipped their last class Thursday arriving at the mountain by 2 p.m. Like Hoffman and Rand, they set up sleeping bags on the ground overnight.
For this year’s lucky first chair riders, it’s something of a tradition to try and beat the crowds. For others, like Mina Beshay from California, it’s their first time touching snow.
“Never touched snow until this Sunday,” he told KPCW on the bunny hill. “First time being on actual, enough snow to stand on today.”
Utah Valley University students and sisters Riley and Roxy Mauerman usually ride Brighton, but they said they opted for Park City instead because there’s less traffic and more parking. It’s their first year on the Epic Pass.
“I think everyone's very stoked to be here,” Roxy Mauerman said. “I feel like this is the most entertained crowd I've seen, given the conditions.”
Seventeen-year Jeremy Ranch resident Bob Kaufmann, who has been at many an opening day, said the blue skies and beautiful snow made for fine conditions. He said it’s not the best but far from the worst first day he’s had.
“They typically don't get Snowdancer [run] open very early, so they're going to open that today,” he remarked on the ride up Saddleback.
Peter Anderson from Sandy agreed. He said he’s always happy to ski before Thanksgiving, and at the place where he first learned to ski too.
Anderson said he’s paralyzed below the knees and learned to sit-ski at the National Ability Center in 2008. He thinks he’s been to every opening day since.
“If we had snow last night, I'd say it would be a bluebird day,” Anderson said. “Definitely the skies are blue and the sun is shining. And it's comfortable.”
And more snow is coming soon.
Park City Mountain opened with more than 300 skiable acres and multiple lifts at both bases: Payday Express, Three Kings Express and Saddleback Express, plus lifts servicing beginner terrain. More terrain will open weather permitting.
