There was no lack of excitement as people headed up the hills Friday at Holiday Valley, the resort’s opening day.

“Skiing and snowboarding is the lifeblood of what we do here,” said Dash Hegeman, director of marketing, Holiday Valley. “And so being able to just watch people hooting and hollering coming down the slopes, having a good time, is phenomenal.”

Significant snowfall over the past week meant the conditions were perfect.

“Last year was not the best year in terms of snowfall. And this year we're starting off the season having already received about 40 inches of natural snow,” said Hegeman. “We're setting ourselves up for what I believe is going to be a fantastic season.” 

That’s great news for students like Ethan Simms, who’s up from Orlando, Florida.

“I'm only here for one more week, and it's my passion, so I need to get out here, like the day off, because I had no other time to do it,” he said.

And whether they were gliding, falling or wrapping up for the day, people were all smiles — including Wil Neufeld, down from Canada.

“We're just getting in the groove, getting the hang of it and get my ski legs in so it will be good for the whole season,” he said. 

“There's a lot of ‘powder flu sickness ‘going on today and a lot of just pent-up demand to be able to get out on snow again,” said Hegeman.

It’s an itch that might need to get scratched all winter.

“Best opening day ever,” said Neufeld. “The snow. The conditions. This resort, Holiday Valley, does an exceptional job in maintaining the hills and the roads. It's just the best place.”

There was a relatively steady snowfall throughout the day, a lot of the snow there is manmade, too. So even if it does warm up a bit, the slopes will be ready for months of fun.