BOREAL, CA - Boreal kicked off the "official" start of the ski and snowboard season on Friday morning.

There was a huge line when Boreal workers started letting people on the Castle Peak Quad at 9:00 am. The chairlift is the only one Boreal planned to operate on the first day of the season. But skiers and riders didn't seem to mind the limited access. Many of them were just so eager to hit the powder and make a bunch of turns down the mountain.

"There's been a lot of buzz right now so I think we are going to see a really busy day. We're actually having a crowd build right now so everybody's itching to get out there," said Jon Slaughter, marketing director of Boreal.

"Just hitting the first runs of the year," said Rob Santi, one of the first skiers to get down the hill at Boreal. "Doing this all before Halloween! How can we ask for anything more?"

Tickets for the day cost $15. Boreal planned to stay open until 9pm. It will also be open through this weekend. Officials planned to assess conditions on Sunday to determine a mid-week operating schedule. Boreal is traditionally the first resort in the area to open each season. On Thursday, Squaw Valley held a pre-season fundraiser that allowed the public to ski and ride there for four hours.