The first snowfall of the season always makes me a little giddy, so when I woke up and saw the snowcam this morning, I couldn’t help heading up to the mountain to investigate.

While the snow stake only registered a little over an inch of snow, there were definitely at least two soggy inches in the base area.

I admit, I was hoping to find light snow gently falling from the sky. Instead, it was raining on top of that beautiful, white blanket.

Still, there is a special feeling the first time each season when you tromp through the snow and feel it squish under your feet. It’s clear that Brundage Mountain is at least falling TOWARD Winter, even as fall color shows through.

I remained hopeful that it might still be snowing at mid-mountain or on the summit…by the time I made it to the top of the Bear Chair, hopes were raised again.

Half way up the mountain, there was at least 3 inches of snow, and it wasn’t quite as soggy as down below.

But, rain was still saturating the freshly fallen snow. It’s a lesson we learn nearly every season. The first blast of snow re-ignites that rush of excitement about the beginning of ski season. Everyone begins to ask, “When are you opening???”

But there’s no way to tell if it will last, or if it’s just a preview of things to come. Even the bears are searching the sky for an answer. “Ullr, my friend. Is this the real thing, or are you just taunting us?”

With all the buzz about La Nina, you have to wonder, is this the beginning of a big snow year? It’s hard to know for sure. The fall colors are still out on the mountain…

But temperatures aren’t quite prickly enough to keep today’s snow around.

The forecast for the coming days looks promising, but not entirely convincing.

And as you can see, even the upper slopes are far from being covered.

Still, that first blast of snow really gets you thinking about getting back on the slopes…

Even if the slopes themselves aren’t sure if it’s Fall or Winter.

– April

For those who read all the way through this post for an answer to the question ‘when will you open?’…this is the best I can do for you right now:

We plan to open as soon as we get enough snow to properly groom the slopes. There is no ‘magic number’ of inches because the water content of the snow is an important factor. Generally, we need at least 18 inches in the base area and 24 inches minimum on the summit.

In recent years, we’ve opened up for weekends as early as the second weekend in November. We would be unlikely to open up mid-week before Thanksgiving. When we are able to announce an opening date, we will certainly not keep it a secret. : )