Park City Mountain opened Friday to a crowd of mountain enthusiasts ready to get in their first turns on their favorite runs. Well, the open ones, anyway. At 7:30 a.m., a whopping hour and a half before the first lift opened, lines of skiers and snowboarders filled the Red Pine Gondola entrance to make it up for the first turns at Canyons Village. A DJ played to the chorus of giddy riders ready for the season’s early start. Folks from across Summit and Wasatch County flooded the gates and endured the early morning cold to secure fresh tracks on the corduroy. Some even skipped school to spend over 19 hours waiting in line to lay the first set of tracks on the snow. Two of the lucky four who received the iconic “I Got Here First” Park City Mountain T-shirts, Ryder Frahf and Kennen Vareoman, are seniors at Wasatch High School. Arriving at 2 p.m. Thursday to set up camp, they spent the night outside on the plaza to earn their spot in line. “We’re excited to get 30,000 (feet in vertical descent) today, planning on skiing all day,” said Frahf. As seniors, the lucky duo didn’t have school Friday, though they did confess to skipping last period Thursday to stake their claim in line.Frahf and Vareoman were determined to start this season strong after last year’s disappointment when car troubles on the way from Heber cost them first chair. While they managed to snag second chair then, their dedication this year paid off as they finally claimed their spot at the front of the line. The two of them rushed the opening day banner with two other high school students at the top of Saddleback Express, the highest banner break in all of Utah, boasted Park City Mountain Communications Manager Emily McDonald.Kemper Allison, a youth group leader at Mountain View Church in Heber, earned his spot on the second chair with friends from the youth group this year. “We got here at 8 p.m. and camped out right behind (Frahf and Vareoman),” said Allison. Allison is no stranger to first chair sacrifices, having earned this spot multiple times in previous years. When Ty Dixon and James Luke, students at Wasatch High, approached him with the idea, Allison said, “Let’s do it! I hadn’t done it in a while and I wanted to do it again.” Skiers on the first chair rip through the opening day banner to officially kick off the start of the season on Friday at Canyons Village.Ty Dixon said, “We’re here just to get the season off to a good start. We’re super excited about it. And camping out was fun. We toured the hotels and got free hot chocolate at the Grand Summit. It’s great.” Paul Tirrano has been skiing Park City since 1982, and his love for the place only grows greater with time, he said. Paul and his wife, Christine, moved to the area 10 years ago, having fallen in love with “bluebird skies and amazing snow,” said Christine, though they stayed for the community. Christine is a certified alpine level instructor and children’s specialist at Park City Mountain, but she was off the clock on opening day, happy for the time to connect to the snow. “We just found such a community here, which we love. But what’s kept us here is the snow is amazing,” said Paul. “I can’t imagine why I would ever want to leave or live somewhere else.” The Shank family — Jonathan, Steven, and their father, Dave — upheld their longstanding tradition of early runs on opening day, celebrating Jonathan and Steven’s 30th season alongside Dave’s more than 50 years on Park City’s snow. Their mantra is simple: “Get in early and get out early,” said Dave. One of the highlights this season is Park City Mountain’s investment in snowmaking infrastructure. Over the summer, the resort upgraded its snowmaking capabilities on two trails, Another World and Chicane, on the Canyons Village side. Both trails are expected to be open before the month’s end, according to McDonald. “These upgrades include over 1.6 miles of new pipe and 35 snow guns on Another World, and 14 new snow guns on Chicane,” McDonald said. “This expansion allows us to open these trails earlier than ever, giving guests more options to ski and ride at the start of the season.”Deirdre Walsh, COO and vice president of Park City Mountain, emphasized the effort behind the day’s success. “We’re so proud of the team and what they’ve put together for an opening package,” she said. “Every employee that’s behind the scenes makes opening day come to life.”Red Pine Gondola transports riders up to Saddleback Express and High Meadow lift on Friday at Canyons Village. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe opening day package at Park City Mountain included the lifts Saddleback Express and High Meadow, accessed by the Red Pine Gondola at Canyons Village and First Time and Payday at Mountain Village. Ski school opened Friday, as well, with the carpet Tommy Knocker available at Canyons and Sweet Pea at Mountain Village. 3 Kings is also open for park riding at Mountain Village. “At Park City, you can truly choose your own adventure,” McDonald said. “Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned expert, we have terrain that fits your needs.”Despite the fanfare surrounding opening day, folks were impressed with the efficiency and manageability of lift lines. Joe Plomin has skied at Park City Mountain for over 15 years and likes to call opening day his “equipment-check day. I get everything on and find out what’s not perfect.” Plomin wasn’t quite as ambitious to get first chair and took a leisurely start to the day after walking his dogs Friday morning. “I was really pleased that it isn’t so crowded here. (Lines) have been manageable. I was very jazzed for opening day. I was hoping for a few little storms to get here beforehand, but I think it’s impressive they can start this early,” said Plomin. A skier whizzes past on the first run of the season at Canyons Village. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordPark City Mountain employees walked the line at the Red Pine Gondola handing out their new aprés-ski treat, a doughnut with a rosemary and honey filling called the Orange Bubble Bite, an homage to the Beehive State and the Orange Bubble Express at Canyons. With the DJ jamming and the sweet treats flying, the only thing people were wishing for was good snow. For Robb Lentz, the early snowfall was the deciding factor for his attendance on opening day. “We moved here in the summer of ’98 and it’s been our mountain ever since,” said Lentz. “We don’t always make it for opening day, but when conditions are good, we try. The snow is good today. We’ve only done one run, but I can certainly say I’ve skied worse.” The mountain plans to open more terrain throughout the week and into mid-December. As more runs become available, people will be able to continue to progress in skill and terrain with Park City Mountain’s emphasis on progression and learning, said Emily McDonald. “I think something really neat about Park City is just the ability to be yourself and whatever you want to ski a ride that day. We have it for you,” said McDonald. Nine trails were open Friday morning, and Park City Mountain plans to roll out more than 350 trails in the coming weeks. With snow in the weekend forecast, McDonald and other guests are optimistic about early openings, hoping for cold, snowy weather in the future.A skier with the National Ability Center slows down at the top of High Meadow lift on Friday. Credit: Clayton Steward/Park RecordThe post Park City Mountain celebrates banner break as first chair rolls out to start season appeared first on Park Record.