Springtime sun may mean less snow and ski gear out on the slopes, unless you add a total solar eclipse to the mix in early April.

“They’re like whoa, what is that thing?” said Michael Bailey, of Duanesburg, who hit the road with his family and their enormous telescope at 4 a.m. Monday to claim their spot at the base of Whiteface Mountain.

“You know, in earth science class I learned about sun spots. I never saw them. Put this thing on them, and you can see two today,” Bailey exclaimed.

They were letting others in on the fun, too.

“We’ve met people from Ecuador, people from Italy,” Bailey said, sounded excited.

Whiteface welcomed people from around the world with various eclipse parties plotted around the mountain.

“Just enjoying the vibe of the good people here, the mountains, snow and eclipse,"

said Martha Jimenez, who came from Long Island. "I want to take a picture of that.”

For others, it was just a short trip down the road.

Kimberly Orlic lives in Wilmington. 

“When does totality ever pass over the town you live, and what better place to celebrate than with thousands of people at Whiteface?” Orlic said rhetorically.

Most visitors were equipped with cameras for the rare celestial event.

“We’re going to see what we get," Orlic said. "We’ve got a nice solar filter on there, and we’ll see if we get any good shots today.”

Jimenez enjoyed her time upstate.

"Ah, so, so good. I love it. Great experience," she said.

Bailey suffered a little.

“It was nerve-racking. There are a lot of nerves to contend with because you only get a certain amount of shots,” he explained.

But he went home with shots that will last a lifetime.

“4 a.m. departure, totally worth it,” Bailey said.