adminWild Mountain, Minn., was the first resort to open for the winter season, as it began operations on Sunday, Oct. 7, with skiing, snowboarding, alpine sliding and go-karting.
Opening day offered two slopes, a beginner run and a terrain park, served by two rope tows, with up to 24 inches of base. Wild had several rails and boxes on the hill for the opening day crowd. The area started making snow just before midnight on Oct. 6, and by 8:30 on Oct. 7, the bottom half of two runs were covered.
“The excitement level is amazing!” Wild vice president Amy Frischmon told SAM. “We had a decent crowd, about 400 to 500 kids.” The area plans to be open after school all week, from 4 to 8 p.m., and with favorable snowmaking weather in the forecast, Wild hopes to stay open continuously.
With foliage season in full swing, the area was also offering scenic chairlift rides and go-karts. Tickets for all activities were half price.
Wild has been the first area to open in the Midwest for 35 years. This is only the second time it has been the first area to open in the nation. And it’s also the earliest opening in the area’s history, easily beating the previous opening-day mark, Oct. 18, in 1992.
