Tons of smiling faces in the lift lines today as we opened our 50th Season here at Brundage Mountain.

You could feel the excitement even before the first run.

Lots of cheering and beaming, familiar faces onthose who wouldn’t miss opening day at Brundage for anything!

Some were prepared with helmet cams to capture the experience for posterity.

Others geared up in more practical ways, to ensure hydration when there’s no time to stop.

YT Nelson makes his way toward first chair on the BlueBird Quad. He’s had first chair for so long, we can’t even keep count of the years anymore.

All of the anticipation and preparation paid off. This guy went big right from the beginning — airing out under the lift line….

Landing with a poof….

And making an impressive recovery while the crowd watched from above.

For those taking a more measured approach – most groomed runs were smooth and silky.

45th, Engen, Temptation and Bear got some of the best reviews from those looking to cruise and carve on choice corduroy while escaping the crowds.

Off-trail adventurers reported a lot of smooth sailing…soft, sugary snow that was knee- or even thigh-deep depending on where you found it.

Not necessarily the ‘blower fluff’ we get mid-season, but soft enough to satisfy the powder lover’s opening day cravings.

(For those of you who missed all of this because of some football game…we DO have big screens in Smoky’s Pub, and you DID miss out on an amazing morning on the slopes. Of course, you’ll get another chance tomorrow at 9:30 am. Don’t blow it!)

– April