At 7:30 am on Saturday, October 8th, Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort became the first ski area in the United States to open for the 2011/2012 season.

 

Located about an hour from the Las Vegas Strip, LVSSR opened with a total of 12 inches of snow, 9 inches from recent snowstorms and another 3 inches from the artificial snowmaking of the resort. Chair 3 became the first to open in the country, running until 4 pm on Saturday, then from 9 am to 4 pm on Sunday.

 

“It’s very exciting that a ski area in Las Vegas is the first to open for the season,” says Kevin Stickelman, LVSSR’s president. “We’re undergoing a major expansion — a plan that was approved in July. This weekend was the perfect opportunity to share some of our recent improvements with our guests.”

 

Early reports indicate that several hundred guests took advantage of the ski resort's early opening, with skiers and snowboarders showing up from nearby and out of state. Pagosa Springs, Colorado's Wolf Creek Ski Area was the second ski area to open for the upcoming season.

 

“It’s a rare for this region to receive snow so early, so we felt it was important to offer our season pass holders and guests a chance to come together, celebrate and get excited about the season,” Stickelman said.

 

Over the summer, LVSSR initiated a $35 million investment into the development of the resort which includes the expansion of the number of trails to 50 and the number of ski lifts to 10 in the next 10 to 12 years.