Bogus Basin was slated to open on December 12th, but thanks to the help of mother nature, skiers and snowboarders were able to get some turns on November 27th.
"The turnout was spectacular as far as I'm concerned. We saw about 6,500 skiers spread out over the three days so it was really a great turnout," said Brad Wilson, the general manager of Bogus Basin.
Extra days to the calendar means extra money that wasn't budgeted for, and early openings translate into higher sales.
"An early opening gives people more confidence in the season," said Wilson. "It defiantly stimulates peoples desire to buy a season pass when they know we have opened early."
Early openings don't just help out Bogus Basin. They are also great for those businesses who depend on the skiers, like Greenwoods Ski Haus.
They said that have had trouble keeping up with all of the business they have been seeing.
"We were really busy, pretty much busier than we have been the last couple years," explained Eric Straubahr, owner of Greenwoods Ski Haus. "As skiers are going to the mountain they are needing equipment, they are needing gear, so business is up a little bit."
Greenwoods Ski Haus says the extra money helps them keep the shelves stocked, and the rest goes into a savings fund for seasons that are not necessarily as fruitful.
As for Bogus Basin, they said the extra funds help make up for some bad years.
"We've had four really tough years and so we didn't really just want a good ski season, we absolutely have to have a good ski season this year. This just helps buffer that a little bit," said Wilson.
Bogus says they'll remain open on the weekends with a limited number of runs, but as they get more snow they'll open up more areas.
Bogus also announced that the tubing hill will open this weekend.
