WHITE HAVEN, Pa. — Skiers from all over kicked off the season bright and early at Jack Frost Ski Resort in Kidder Township, Carbon County.
"Yes, very excited. I love to ski. I'll probably come back here on Sunday," Gabriel Dasilda said.
One group of friends from New Jersey all took the day off from work. They wanted to be the first ones to ski down the mountain.
"Couldn't wait, absolutely!" John Yuen said. "I actually picked up skateboarding because of snowboarding because I was itching to get on a board."
Managers at Jack Frost say the warm fall turned cold at just the right time, allowing them to start making snow. Four trails are ready for skiers. More will open as Mother Nature allows.
"It was right around Thanksgiving, actually the day before Thanksgiving, we were able to fire up the guns the first time. And that's a real nice milestone to hit finally. We got that and temperatures were kind to us. We were able to continue to blow snow and as you can see, there's a really nice base out here," said Jack Frost's Andy DeBrunner.
Some COVID restrictions are still getting carried into the new year. Masks are no longer required while you're outside on the slopes, but they are required indoors and you'll need that vaccine card to enter the cafeteria.
"We still do have the bar open, E-2000, is open for unvaccinated people, as is a warming area, so we have plenty of options for those that are vaccinated and not," DeBrunner said.
Jack Frost is open seven days a week. Neighboring Big Boulder Ski area is planning to open on December 17.