We knew it was going to be a good day following a week of steady snowfall. Obviously, everyone in the city was pumped as the lot filled up past capacity for the season kickoff. We were greeted by Mike Moynihan and Nicole from Sunshine village. The posse of old friends was huge and familiar faces were all grinning ear to ear as we headed up the gondola to the Village.



Sunshine Opening Day Video 9.2mgs

To celebrate being back on the boards, we opted for something smooth and easy off the Standish chair. Following Kevin Hjertaas, I was treated to untouched turns and the leg held. First run of the day was great and it was only going to get better. We lapped Standish and hit the Virgins for a couple of sweet, short, steep hits. Then it was down to the lower mountain to enjoy the snow on Wolverine and Jackrabbit. These are the perfect runs for opening day - not too long, not too gnarly but boasting carvable snow and long enough not to burn your legs out completetly.

After a solid 3 hours we hit Trappers for some much needed fuel and then went straight back out to Standish. By the afternoon the lines had diminished and there were no queues as we cruised around lapping the mountain. WaWa finished off the day. Some of the best turns were had via a short traverse off the lift into the pow stash.

Needless to say - my leg held up much better than expected and I felt as though I could've skied a few more runs by days end. With a solid base and more snow in the forecast, the Shine is set to be in great shape for next weekend as more lifts open.

For those of you wondering about the Dive - it's looking in good shape and the patrol is working hard to get the whole mountain open conditions permitting.