Kerri and Buck Willoughby, and their 5-year-old Paxton are geared up in the family car, ready to go find the snow.
Kerri says last year the family enjoyed some good skiing early in the season, but later the snow petered out.
“Had a couple of really awesome days last year, but it’s definitely really exciting to have so much snow this early in the year this year,” Kerri said.
Buck says the family has already broken in their poles.
“We’ve all been out together and were just out yesterday,” Buck said. “It was really fast. They had groomed a lot and it was cold, so the snow was really quick, so it was wonderful.”
On Christmas Eve, skiers like the Willoughbys celebrated the holidays and the start of their season at the Eaglecrest Ski Area with arts and crafts, a visit from Santa and the annual torchlight parade.
Tom Ainsworth with the National Weather Service in Juneau said so far this month, Eaglecrest has seen about double the snow the ski area got last December. He said it “looks like snow heaven” compared to the last couple of years.
Heavy #snow continues across the northern panhandle this A.M. 10.3″ of accumulation so far at the NWS Office! #akwx pic.twitter.com/biiW8O6SjA
— NWS Juneau (@NWSJuneau) December 7, 2016
In the Eaglecrest parking lot, the Willoughbys are unloading their bright red sled, and they’ve already bumped into more snow lovers.
The crowd of ski buffs are about to walk in on the end of kids’ arts and crafts — just in time for the annual parade of skiers who will glide down a mountain slope carrying red emergency flares.
“Well and then after that, they let the little kids have some little lights and they go up the bunny hill and do their own torchlight parade, maybe a little less organized,” Buck Willoughby said.
He said Paxton plans to be in the kids’ parade.
Below the Hooter Chairlift, a couple of dozen people … maybe more, wait in the cold with their eyes glued to the slope. Then at the top tiny dots of sparkling red light ignite, and down the skiers come with flares at their sides.
Joey Roters finished near the back of the parade. He says he was just trying his best not to trip.
“Yeah, I don’t want to ruin Christmas,” he said.
Doug Sanvik also took part. He’s been participating for years and says this year was especially good.
“(The) snow was excellent. This is probably the fastest we’ve come down from on top of Hooter. It was very smooth, very nice, just excellent snow, a good time,” Sanvik said.
Music to the Willoughbys’ ears.
Buck hopes this start to the season isn’t just another tease like last year. But, right now he’s happy. Now that the adults’ parade is over, Paxton is up, and then the Willoughbys will be ready for the finale – a visit from Santa Claus.
