SAM Magazine-Breckenridge, Colo., Nov. 7, 200 -Skiers will have plenty to celebrate this weekend as the ski season kicks off in earnest, with resorts opening across North America. In Colorado, Arapahoe, Loveland and Copper Mountain have already been hosting skiers and snowboarders for the past few weeks, with Arapahoe Basin leading the early season charge with an Oct. 10 opening.

Those three resorts are being joined by Breckenridge, Canadian resort Lake Louise, Minnesota's Wild Mountain, and both Cataloochee and Sugar Mountain, North Carolina in the next few days. Yup, that's right, North Carolina.

In fact, Sugar Mountain and the Cat opened today, Nov. 7. Sugar commenced snowmaking operations on Nov. 6, and is offering sliding on Upper and Lower Flying Mile. Ticket prices are $25. Cataloochee dropped the ropes on two trails at 1 pm. with an 8- to 20-inch base. Today's opening marks the second straight year the resort has opened during the first week of November.

Said Chris Bates, Cataloochee's GM, "We expect the temperatures to remain favorable the next few days and we are expecting our snowmakers to convert over one million gallons of water into snow." Midweek and student rates are in effect.

Cold weather also allowed snowmaking operations to ramp up at Wild Mountain. The Minnesota resort has been the first Midwestern ski area to open for the last 32 years, and defended its title again, opening today. The ski area has skiing on one run, but expects that ongoing snowmaking operations will allow more terrain to open by the weekend.

In Colorado, Breckenridge will open on Friday, with top to bottom skiing off of the area's SuperChair, and will run the CamelBack lift as well.

Lake Louise expects to start operations on Saturday. The resort will operate the Glacier Express Quad Chair and hopes to have the Magic Carpet/learning area available for beginners. Terrain will be limited to the main Wiwaxy run from the top of the Glacier Chair, and beginner terrain at the base.

With continuing cold weather across much of the country-including New York, where Peek'n Peak is currently reporting nine inches of new snow at the base-additional ski area openings are imminent. Keep logged onto saminfo.com for updates.