Mountain Creek will open for skiing at noon Wednesday, more than three weeks ahead of last winter's schedule.
VERNON - Just ahead of an Arctic blast, Mountain Creek is opening for skiing at noon Wednesday, more than three weeks ahead of last year's schedule.
Resort president and chief operating officer Bill Benneyan said the original 2016 opening date, Saturday, was moved up amid a long-range forecast that appears exceptionally favorable to skiing.
Daytime temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s on Thursday and Friday and a modest snowfall is possible.
"We've had great snow-making weather," Benneyan told NJ Advance Media.
From a skiing perspective, that is a big improvement from 12 months ago, when an unseasonably warm December pushed back the opening of Mountain Creek's skiing season to Jan. 6.
"Anything east of the Mississippi, it was the worst in 50 years. It was staggering," Benneyan said.
Last winter's fortunes were reversed from 2014, when an early start to winter resulted in Mountain Creek opening on Nov. 29.
Benneyan said a mid-December start is typical.
"Opening day always is exciting," Benneyan said.
Two of Mountain Creek's biggest fans, John and Buffy Whiting of Vernon, will again be given the opening day honor of riding the first lift to the slops.
John Whiting of Vernon said that he and his wife, Buffy, skied at Mountain Creek on 64 of the 67 days it was open last year, and 104 of 112 days the prior year.
John Whiting, 75, said he was introduced to skiing by his wife, about 33 years ago.
"It was, frankly, a life-changer. People have limited options to do healthy things in winter," Whiting said.
"Skiing is something you can do as long as you walk, and it's healthy," Whiting said.
Returning arrivals will notice something different as Mountain Creek debuts a change in how skiers will gain entry to the slopes.
Access cards will be utilizing radio frequency identifying device (RFID) technology, an upgrade from the prior system relying on a bar code being scanned by an employee.
The RFIP cards can be read while in a skier's pocket - Mountain Creek recommends the left side of the jacket, separate from cell phones and any foil wrapped items - and will result in an ID photo being displayed at the lift.
Benneyan said the new technology is aimed at deterring fraud, whether by those deliberately sneaking in an unpaid visit or an inadvertent usage of a family's members card.
"The benefit to the skier is the ease of restocking their card," Benneyan said.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.