SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — The snow was a welcome sight for ski areas that have been waiting for a storm. The fluffy snow made for perfect conditions.
"I woke up bright and early and I saw the powder, and I was like 'the first thing I'm doing is I'm going snowboarding,'" said Trevor Gagnon of Berlin.
Many people shared that thought on Friday as they flocked to Mount Southington to enjoy the fresh snow.
"I've been waiting for some powder, I don't really like ice and it's been raining and blah blah blah, but now, we're definitely here," said Jace Caron of Berlin.
It's been a slow start to the season. Mild temperatures pushed opening day back and even when temperatures dropped the mountain was still relying on artificial snow until now.
"Just for everybody to get as excited as we are about winter it was very important," said Brian McCluskey, guest services and office manager at Mount Southington. "We were able to open the day after Christmas, which was great, but the weather was, you know, not the greatest for the holiday week. We were still pretty consistently busy but this just gets everybody outside and excited for winter," he said.
Mount Southington said it was their busiest day of the season so far. The parking lots were filled to capacity Friday evening.
"This is like a pre-pandemic busy. Everybody is doing a good job of, you know, staying outside and being mindful of others, but it's exciting to be this busy again," McCluskey said.
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Mother Nature lent a helping hand by overdelivering with the snow, something avid skiers and snowboarders have been waiting for.
"We've been to Vermont the last six weeks and it's nice to actually have some snow at home and get to support some local mountains," said Justin Kolashuk of Ledyard.
Lots of snow meant no school, which brought in plenty of excited kids for the perfect snow day.
"Really exciting we went sledding in our backyard we went skiing," said Evelyn Lavery of Southington.
Mount Southington is asking guests to book online ahead of time if you're coming, but you can still buy tickets at the window.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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