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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; Despite Mother Nature&#8217;s best efforts this winter, the staff at Montage Mountain couldn&#8217;t wait any longer. Let there be snow &#8230; boarding and skiing.</p><p>Thursday, Jan. 7, saw Montage Mountain&#8217;s opening day for the 2016 ski and snowboarding season. Battling against El Ni&#241;o&#8217;s unseasonably warm presence this winter, staff at Montage Mountain said they had to wait a little longer than usual to open the slopes.</p><p>&#8220;We typically like to open the week before the holiday season, ideally,&#8221; said Tyler Crawford, director of Front End Operations at Montage Mountain. &#8220;But this isn&#8217;t anything we haven&#8217;t dealt with before. Warm winters happen sometimes.&#8221;</p><p>Even with the later-than-average start, the folks at Montage promise to make 2016 one of the biggest, best seasons yet.</p><p>This week&#8217;s opening coincides with Pennsylvania&#8217;s statewide Learn to Ski and Snowboard month, and Montage is there to help everyone get out on the slopes.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re offering half price lessons all month long, as well as free lessons for beginners on Monday the 11th and Wednesday the 13th,&#8221; said Director of Sales and Marketing Christina Galdieri. &#8220;It&#8217;s wonderful to get outside and enjoy the winter weather and learn a new lifelong hobby.&#8221;</p><p>The slopes were definitely beckoning for many, even on a typical Thursday afternoon. Montage kicked off the season at noon, however the crowds picked up considerably after 4 p.m. &#8212; after school and most jobs let out.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely been a sizeable crowd, especially for a Thursday,&#8221; Galdieri said.</p><p>By 3 p.m., The Lodge was a flurry of busy skiers and snowboarders funneling in and out. Even though they only had three slopes in operation, the majority of visitors definitely got a full day out in the snow.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been out since 1 p.m.,&#8221; said Joey Samuels of Catawissa.</p><p>He was taking a break from his snowboard and grabbing a beer in The Lodge.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been a pretty good day so far. The crowds aren&#8217;t too heavy and even with the warm weather, the snow is pretty good,&#8221; Samuels said.</p><p>The only complaint seemed to go hand in hand with the challenge of the warm weather.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s pretty icy out there,&#8221; said Mike Forty, of Danville. &#8220;The problem when it&#8217;s warm is that the snow will constantly melt and refreeze as ice, which makes it slick and chunky and hard to maneuver. I sharpened the edges on my board so I could cut in easier.&#8221;</p><p>Motioning out the lodge&#8217;s expansive windows to the slopes outside, Forty added: &#8220;We could really use some natural snow. Nothing beats powder.&#8221;</p><p>Officials at Montage Mountain said they promise to heat things up over the next few weeks; kicking the winter sports haven into full gear before February comes around.</p><p>Before the end of January, up to 20 lanes of snow tubing will be up and running for the public to use. This season will also mark <a href="http://theweekender.com/archive/6269/news-151303644-get-air-on-montage-mountain" target="_blank">the third season for airboarding</a>, one of the newest winter sports to come to the mountain.</p><p>Similar to a street luge, riders who want to give airboarding a try can expect to get on a sled with rails, much like a blow-up boogie board. They then maneuver down the mountain laying on their stomachs, face first. Montage offers introductory courses, but it&#8217;s not like most other winter sports &#8212; there&#8217;s barely a learning curve, Montage staff said.</p><p>&#8220;After an hour or two of instruction, you&#8217;ll already be an intermediate airboarder,&#8221; said Crawford. &#8220;It&#8217;s an incredibly fun experience.&#8221;</p><p>Montage Mountain staff said overall, they expect the 2016 season at the mountain to be cooler than ever, regardless of the forecast.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Olivia Coar 11, of Mt. Cobb tests her skiing on the first day of skiing at Montage Mountain before going down the bigger hills. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010716ski1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Olivia Coar 11, of Mt. Cobb tests her skiing on the first day of skiing at Montage Mountain before going down the bigger hills. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Colin and Nick Yuhas take a break before heading down the Cannonball trail at Montage Montage Jan. 7, the opening day of the ski slopes. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Colin and Nick Yuhas take a break before heading down the Cannonball trail at Montage Montage Jan. 7, the opening day of the ski slopes. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A skier gets air off a small snow mound on opening day at Montage Mountain. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski3-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>A skier gets air off a small snow mound on opening day at Montage Mountain. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Olivia Coar, 11, rides the ski lift to the top of the bunny hill at Montage Mountain. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Olivia Coar, 11, rides the ski lift to the top of the bunny hill at Montage Mountain. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jaron Williams makes his first run of the day at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski5-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Jaron Williams makes his first run of the day at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hannah Acevedo and Adam Samitz of Old Forge make their way down the mountain at Montage Mountain on Jan.7. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski6-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>Hannah Acevedo and Adam Samitz of Old Forge make their way down the mountain at Montage Mountain on Jan.7. </caption5><photoCredit5>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski7-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A couple makes their way up the mountain by ski lift on Jan. 7 at Montage Mountain. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski7-1.jpg</photo6><caption6>A couple makes their way up the mountain by ski lift on Jan. 7 at Montage Mountain. </caption6><photoCredit6>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski8-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nico Amity and John Borgia on opening day at Montage Mountain. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski8-1.jpg</photo7><caption7>Nico Amity and John Borgia on opening day at Montage Mountain. </caption7><photoCredit7>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit7></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski9-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Skiers chat at the top of the hill on the first day of skiing at Montage. 1/7/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo8>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski9-1.jpg</photo8><caption8>Skiers chat at the top of the hill on the first day of skiing at Montage. 1/7/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption8><photoCredit8>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit8></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski10-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Denise Evans, Hannah Acevedo and Adam Samitz at Montage. 1/7/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo9>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski10-1.jpg</photo9><caption9>Denise Evans, Hannah Acevedo and Adam Samitz at Montage. 1/7/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption9><photoCredit9>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit9></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski11-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tyler Collins works on one of the snow guns at Montage. 1/7/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo10>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski11-1.jpg</photo10><caption10>Tyler Collins works on one of the snow guns at Montage. 1/7/2016 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader </caption10><photoCredit10>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit10></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski12-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tristan Hunter jumps a small snow pile at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7, opening day of the ski slopes. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo11>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski12-1.jpg</photo11><caption11>Tristan Hunter jumps a small snow pile at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7, opening day of the ski slopes. </caption11><photoCredit11>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit11></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski13-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Chris Chudoba fixes the binding on his snowboard at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo12>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski13-1.jpg</photo12><caption12>Chris Chudoba fixes the binding on his snowboard at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7. </caption12><photoCredit12>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit12></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski14-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Neil Kaiser makes his way down the Cannonball Hill at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7, opening day of the ski slopes. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo13>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski14-1.jpg</photo13><caption13>Neil Kaiser makes his way down the Cannonball Hill at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7, opening day of the ski slopes. </caption13><photoCredit13>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit13></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski15-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joe Murray makes his way down the hill at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7, opening day of the ski slopes. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo14>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010816ski15-1.jpg</photo14><caption14>Joe Murray makes his way down the hill at Montage Mountain on Jan. 7, opening day of the ski slopes. </caption14><photoCredit14>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit14></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Opening day of the slopes saw many snowboarders and skiers out on trails</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Rachel Holly</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the arts and entertainment department at ae@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Opening day at Montage Mountain welcomes many snowboarders and skiers out on trails