Hundreds of skiers and snowboarders showed up in high spirits today as we kicked off the 2011-2012 season.

We had 3″ of fresh snow overnight, but by sunrise, the snow had turned to rain in the base area and we had STORMY conditions all over the mountain. It was a soggy morning, a blustery mid-day, and then, by 2:00 pm SNOW took charge again from top to bottom.

Despite the unpredictable weather, our visitors seemed stoked to get on the slopes.

We had a couple hundred people in line at 9:30, even though there was no fresh powder to be had.

These guys were first in line…

They celebrated their feat with high-fives as they got first chair.

In honor of our Golden Anniversary, Chair 50 was decked out in golden bling.

Today was an uncommon opening day at Brundage Mountain. Due to the shortage of snow and the soggy weather, we had a limited number of runs groomed today.

But that didn’t dampen the excitement a bit. Most of our guests told us that after waiting so long for the season to start, they were just happy to get a chance to make some turns.

Our lift operators helped several guests get suited up in their plastic prom dresses.

(These fashionable, functional accessories were a smart move today).

Aspiring snowboarders were on Easy Street first thing, looking to get a leg up on a full season of riding.

Crowds weren’t too thick, despite our limited number of groomed runs.

45th Parallel had some of the best conditions. The slope was soft and creamy, without being sticky.

It wasn’t the best opening day weather we’ve ever had, but it was a terrific day to get the ‘ski legs’ back under you and remind your muscles what they’ll be doing for the next 4-5 months.

For some, it was just like riding a bike…the smooth technique kicked right back in.

Bear and Griz were also skiing well.

Even novice skiers were enjoying the ride.

One thing that was odd to see – an empty slope on Engen! We were not able to groom this favorite run (or Main Street, Alpine and others) because there has simply not been enough snow. And with the less-than-fluffy consistency, even the powder hounds were steering clear.

A lot of people took a break to warm up and check out our new restaurant space. We’ve expanded Smoky’s Pub – it’s now Smoky’s Bar & Grill.

Part of the new space is now open to families so they don’t have to miss out on the great food we’ll be serving down there.

We’ve also enlarged the adults-only space, and created an area we call ‘the lounge’.

In addition to the expanded menu we’ll be serving soon, we are also offering more table service for a relaxing, sit-down experience.

We’ve been waiting a long time to share all these changes with our guests.

So we were extra excited to see so many people out there having fun.

After waiting until the final days of December, most people were just happy for a chance to hit the slopes. The theme of the day: “We’ll take what we can get!”

– April