The snow was deep, but the stoke even deeper as Arapahoe Basin Ski Area became the first Colorado ski resort to open for the season Sunday, Oct. 29, with almost a foot of fresh snow overnight.

By the time the first chair full of riders started spinning around 8:20 a.m., about 10 minutes early, the ski area’s snow cam had recorded more than 11 inches. At least 200 skiers and snowboarders waited in a line that stretched up the hill to get their first turns of the year.

“We’re freaking stoked,” Denver resident Kevin McMichael said. “Fourteen inches of blower for opening day. Let’s go!”

McMichael and his buddy, Anders Olson, had shown up early to get near the front of the line. As snow continued to fall, their excitement was palpable, and the two friends at times finished each other’s sentences.

“I’m here to get a couple good runs, honestly, and then hang out in the lodge, make some food, drink some beers,” McMichael said.

“Classic A-Basin day,” Olson said.

“Like a beach day,” McMichael said.

“But opening day instead,” Olson added.

As soon as A-Basin announced its opening day on Friday, people started showing up to get in line for the first chair, some of them camping in the parking lot to reserve their spot, according to Arapahoe Basin communications manager Shayna Silverman.

Silverman said when she arrived at 5:30 a.m. for opening day, 30-40 people had already claimed their spot in line for the Black Mountain Express, some of them wearing costumes and all of them brimming with excitement.

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“We couldn’t have asked for a better opening day,” Silverman said. “We got 11 inches overnight last night, and there’s plenty more. That was the last time I checked, like two hours ago. It’s still coming down. Can’t ask for a better day than a powder day.”

Snow plumed up behind skiers and riders as they made their first turns down High Noon, the only trail open Sunday. While A-Basin did not offer a beginner experience opening day, the fresh snow bodes well for more terrain openings in the days and weeks to come, Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth said.

Snowmaking will focus first on opening the Lenawee Express all the way to the top of the mountain, Henceroth said. Then, the ski area will focus on filling in the trails on the Lenawee face of the mountain and into Dercum’s Gulch, he said.

“And from there, we’ll just keep growing and growing and growing,” Henceroth said.

The first guests in line Sunday received free A-Basin branded duct tape and donuts. With Halloween just around the corner, a band playing spooky tunes kept the party going through the afternoon and the ski area also hosted a costume contest.

Heavy snowfall made it difficult going for some travelers and at least a few vehicles slid off the road coming over Loveland Pass. But the early-winter conditions were not enough to keep skiers and riders from showing up en masse for opening day.

Kim Dunnell arrived in the parking lot with her son around 5:45 a.m. to cook breakfast and claim a spot in line that landed them on the 9th chair. By the first run, Dunnell said her son had ditched her to enjoy the powder.

“It’s amazing. It’s about 8 inches on top of a little groomer stuff, a little crunch on the bottom,” Dunnell said. “I came out with my son who already ditched me because he’s much faster, but it was great. I don’t know that I want to do another one because that one was so good.”

Lifts at A-Basin will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays throughout the season. With the falling snow hinting at the season to come, skiers and boarders slid into their first turns of the season with wide smiles across their faces.

After waking up at 4 a.m. to drive from Fort Collins, Jackson Goodwin had just made his first run of the season. After injuring himself at the end of last season, Goodwin said he had been waiting since March to get back on the snow.

“Dude, it is so good. About the best opening day you could possibly ask for,” Goodwin said. “I saw snow, man, and it was just game on.”