WHITE PASS — A thin blanket of snow came just in time for White Pass Ski Resort's early opening Friday, where skiers and snowboarders reveled in the first powder of the season. White Pass Ski Resort, located on the eastern edge of Lewis County, hasn't opened before Thanksgiving since 1994.

"This is the best opening day I've ever heard of," Erik Granquist of Chehalis said.

Snowboarders and skiers of all ages gathered at the lifts by 8:45 a.m., forming a line to be one of the first down the mountain this year.

Shane Maccalla, a new employee, was checking passes at the lift and said he was excited about kicking the season off with a lot of "shralping," a slang word for shredding on a snowboard.

Many skiers and snowboarders across Lewis County made it up the mountain for opening day, including snowboarder Thomas Tull from Packwood 30 miles downhill.

"It's not just for the young guys, it's for the old guys too," Tull said while waiting in line for a chair lift.

Yakima residents Robert Maher and Cameron Eaton were lounging in the lodge waiting for a good time to go up on the lift. Their expectations for the season included "a lot of powder."

"It's been a while since they have opened this early, it's nice," Maher said.

The customers were not the only ones excited about the early season opening. Dale Critchlow, a 20-year employee of the resort and the office manager of the Village Inn, said it was a wonderful occurrence.

"It takes a while to get the buzz out, so an early season builds strong legs for a good December," he said.

He also mentioned the expansion of the resort, which has been in the works since 1984. Critchlow said two chair lifts and a new mid-mountain range lodge are expected to be open for the 2010-2011 season.

The resort is planning on putting in about $7 million for the expansion, which will increase to $9 million after the environmental impact costs, White Pass Ski Resort general manager Kevin McCarthy said.

The expansion also includes 13 new named runs and what McCarthy referred to as "endless" trails at sub-alpine heights.

"It's important that we have a good year this year," Critchlow said, referring to being prepared for next year's expansion.

D.K. Watson, a full-time ski instructor for the resort since 1994, called this year's early opening, "fantastic."

"It's good for business and good for the area," he said.

On the first day of this year's business the Village Inn was half-full, Critchlow said. The attendance of the inn is based on if the individually owned cabins are available to rent when the owners are not using them.

If the snow keeps at 8 to 10 inches a day, as Critchlow predicts, he said he expects the resort to be opened daily after next weekend and the Village Inn to be full throughout the winter.

The early opening was a bit unexpected but a lot of return employees and only a little bit of training allows for better business, said Mitch Kamppi, a third season employee, who was working at the rental station in the lodge.

Two brand new Snow Cat snow removal vehicles were in use the night before, in order to groom every run before the customers arrived, Chris Haight, a snow cat driver and five-year employee said.

Haight believed the snow coverage was "pretty thin," but said it looks like the resort has a pretty good chance of staying open all season and avoiding rain.

"It's a tough life but somebody's got to do it," Watson said.