It was hard to see a frowning face at Arapahoe Basin ski area on October 25 as the Black Mountain Express started up for the 2010-2011 ski season. "It only happens once a year," a skier said to his friend as he waited in the lift line as the brand new chairlift opened up for the first time...

Skiers and riders wait at the new Black Mountain Express on Opening Day at Arapahoe Basin on Oct. 25, 2010.

The Black Mountain Express chariot awaits eager skiers and riders at opening day at Arapahoe Basin on Oct. 25.

Alan Henceroth, COO and General Manager for Arapahoe Basin cuts the ribbon at the Black Mountain Express, officially starting the ski season in Summit County.

Some of the first skiers and riders show their excitement at getting on the Black Mountain Express on Opening day at A-Basin.

Ski patrollers clear off the big dump that hit the Black Mountain Lodge at A-Basin on Oct. 25. Two inches was expected to hit by the morning, with up to a foot expected in the valley throughout the day.

Temperatures dropped to 22 degrees at A-Basin on opening day - leaving skiers no other choice but to bundle up.

One snowboarder gets high off the box in the High Divide Terrain Park at A-Basin on opening day.

A skier crashes after attempting the box at the 'basin's terrain park. Many skiers and riders were feeling wobbly after a long summer.

A true Colorado car- from Connecticut - that's prepared for everything fall in the state may offer, from kayaking to skiing and beyond.

For the past few days, a series of powerful storms have pounded the Colorado Rocky Mountains delivering 13 inches at Vail , 11 inches at Breckenridge and 8 inches at Beaver Creek for the 48-hour mid-mountain snow totals with almost two feet falling at Keystone 's North Peak Mountain over the past...

The big storm that dropped 1-2 FEET of snow last week (October 25-27) almost felt like a tease. Even though the fresh snow made opening conditions at A-Basin the best they've been in years, the weather gods of November played a trick on us with a bit of sunny, warmer weather for the last few...

What does it take to get the first chair on an opening day? Sleeping in the lift line doesn't hurt, although it may be cold. And when you're desperate to rack up vertical feet to add to the EpicMix pot, it may be a sacrifice you're willing to make. Mikey Fehrle and Caleb Sizemore from...

The first chair busts through a poster declaring Breck like Never Before on opening day. The people that got first chair won a contest on Facebook to do so.

Ripperoo gets a thrill on the Gold Runner Coaster on opening day at Breckenridge.

It was a beautiful blue day as Breckenridge opened on Nov. 12.

Bobby Brown enjoyed the BreckBerry French toast on opening day.

Breckenridge delivered the goods on Friday for their opening day . Hopefully you were there because I gave you five days of notice with these words: "The cold weather and midweek snow will make for a perfect opening day at Breckenridge on Friday with blue skies above and fresh snow below."...

Opening days across Colorado have been nothing short of extraordinary. When Vail opens on Friday, it promises to be just as incredible. With nearly a foot of new snow over the weekend at mid-mountain and snowmaking conditions prime for lower elevations, Vail Mountain operations crews plan to open...

If Vail ski resort is like nothing on earth, the opening day at Vail is certainly out of the ordinary. With 27 inches of new snow falling within 72 hours of opening 1,175 acres and 11 lifts - the first day of the season will go down in history books. "[Our guests experienced] the best opening...

The lowdown: One more round of snow is coming up for Tahoe (Monday night and Tuesday) and for Colorado (Tuesday night through Wednesday). Cold air and a low sun angle will keep the snow fresh through the week. I think it was John "Hannibal" Smith from the TV series the A-Team who always...

In true Beaver Creek fashion, opening day was defined by soft snow, no lift lines and thousands of chocolate chip cookies. Skiers and riders flocked to the ski resort from places like Georgia, Oklahoma, Denver, Avon, Gipsum, and Peru - all trying to get first tracks on the 44 inches of November...

TV8 catches an interview with the guys that scored the first chair on the Centennial Express Lift (No. 6).

Despite the awesome snow and 425 available acres to ski on, there were no lift lines. Opening day was a veritable gold mine at Beaver Creek.

Beaver Creek ski resort ski instructors and hosts wait to answer questions at help guests at the base of the Centennial Express lift on opening day.