Skiers, snowboarders can't wait for opening day


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BRIGHTON, Salt Lake County — A lot of people are excited about the ski season, especially after a weekend storm dropped close to 4 feet in the mountains.

Brighton Ski Resort is getting ready to open up Tuesday morning, giving them a head-start over some of the other Utah ski destinations. Still, there were a lot of skiers who just couldn't wait.

With so much snow, dozens of diehard skiers and snowboarders hiked up the hill at Brighton for a first shot at the slopes.

"(I'm) just going up to try to hit some rails, get warmed up, get the muscles back," said snowboarder Tim Sargent.

"I'm really pumped," snowboarder Vinny Mauro said. "It's been a really awesome storm. Hopefully it's setting the pace for the year."

Utah ski resort opening dates:
Alta: Nov. 16
Brian Head: Nov. 16
Brighton: Nov. 13
Canyons: Nov. 23
Deer Valley: Dec. 8
Eagle Point: Dec. 21
Park City: Nov. 17
Powder Mountain: Nov. 21
Snowbasin: Nov. 22
Snowbird: Nov. 17
Solitude: Nov. 14
Sundance: Dec. 7
Wolf Mountain: Nov. 23

#ski_dates

Once that weekend snow started falling Friday morning, the folks at Brighton started taking a serious look at how soon they could get the place running.

"Once we get a big dump, we like to open as quick as we possibly can," said Jared Winkler, spokesman for Brighton Ski Resort. "All the guests here, and all the employment crew, they're really excited to see so much snow, and to be able to open with so much fresh snow."

Monday, Brighton employees spent the day making those final preparations: shoveling, organizing, and getting the slopes just right before they become packed Tuesday morning.

"We're so excited!" said snowboarder Rose Struble.

"Definitely," her friend Alisa Evans said. "We've been watching the reports every day, looking for every storm that's gonna roll through."

They're all hoping this solid early-November start could mean a big difference in how the season ahead shapes out.

"We just all want to be able to ski," skier Susie Rose said.

"Yeah, if we can all get in a lot of days that would be — that's really our expectation," fellow skier Rick Rose said.

At Brighton, employees expect the snow base should be enough to get them going and keep them open for the season. Three lifts open Tuesday; four will be open by the weekend.

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Mike Anderson

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