Dining Chair Risers

Dining Chair Risers

W hile dedicated Black Friday shoppers stood at checkout lines, enthusiastic skiers and riders waited patiently in the gondola line at Loon Mountain, eager for the resort to open for its 55th winter season.

On opening day at any resort, one question persists in the minds of devoted patrons: Who will get the first chair of the season?

For Jamie Ruginski, the answer was obvious. A 30-year-old snowboarder from Buxton, Maine, Ruginski was one of three who showed up at 4:30 a.m. to stand at the White Mountain Express Gondola until the lifts started spinning at 9 a.m.

"We were the first ones on the mountain, the first ones down," Ruginski said. "The first chair of the season. That's a big deal, so we're excited about that."

Ruginski, Luccas Rousseau and Brady Mitchell dropped their gear and set up camping chairs beside the ticket gates in the gondola barn. Bundled in winter jackets and fueled by Dunkin' coffee, they waited in the darkness of the early morning hours for the line to fill in. No one else showed up until about 7, when people began pouring into line.

The riders met one another the previous Monday at Sugarloaf, where they also bagged the first chair of the season. Sugarloaf, along with Loon and Sunday River, are operated by Boyne Resorts and can be accessed on the New England Pass the company offers. At Sunday River, the three missed the first chair by one.

"It might have to be tradition now," Ruginski said as he looked around at his companions. Next year, they're planning to camp out again at all three resorts, but they aren't giving away any details about their early morning arrival time.

The ground may have been bare beside the trails, but Loon offered top-to-bottom advanced and intermediate terrain on the opening day of its 55th ski season.

Jill Armstrong

Ruginski's stoke for opening day and love for snowboarding could be felt across the mountain: Smiles radiated from friends as they stepped into the gondola cabin, laughter rang throughout the lodges and shouts of surprise echoed across trails as skiers fumbled, reacquainting themselves with their gear and the slick snow underfoot.

For many, the winter season is just as much about the camaraderie as the sport.

"It's good to see old friends. It's all about this. We're back here again, and we're happy," said Mark Morris, a Lincoln local who has skied Loon all his life. Morris is happy to be back in the Paul Bunyan Room, Loon's famed aprés-ski destination, where things are pretty much business as usual, though with a mask requirement for indoor spaces.

As a Loon season passholder, I've grown to recognize many faces over the past 13 winters, like the Tibetts family, whose 4-year-old daughter, Alyssa, started snowboarding as soon as she could walk. I can remember watching her as a toddler, her father pulling her across the Bunyan Room floor on a tiny snowboard.

Skiers and riders line up at the White Mountain Express Gondola on opening day.

Jill Armstrong

When I chatted with Alyssa and her father, Jon, last Friday they were celebrating her first-ever top-to-bottom gondola run with a glass of milk and a tub of popcorn, quite the accomplishment for a 4-year-old on opening day.

Susan Zuffoletti, another regular, has been skiing at Loon for the past 40 years, starting when she was 15. "I love Loon. I love the people here, I love the staff here, and I know the mountain so well. It's like my second home."

Her comment reminded me of the well-loved sitcom "Cheers." I think of Loon in the same way: a comforting, casual place to go "where everybody knows your name."

Later that afternoon, I met Ruginski and crew. They had been riding nonstop since arriving that morning.

"It's just been an unbelievable experience being here," Ruginski said. "I'm just so happy they're open."

Although I had just met Ruginski that morning, I felt as if I were welcoming back an old friend.

We stood on the deck, the mild air allowing us to ease back into the winter season. We rambled for a while about the soft, spring-like conditions, the impressive coverage across two peaks and the five-feature terrain park set up on Flying Fox, a noteworthy feat for opening day.

Most importantly, we celebrated the official start to another season on the slopes.

NH Winter appears Fridays through ski season. Contact Jill Armstrong at jaarmstr1@gmail.com.

Dining Chair Risers

Source: https://www.unionleader.com/nh/outdoors/winter_notes/nh-winter-early-risers-claim-first-chair-for-loons-opening-day/article_b8953452-0c46-57d6-9bfb-77b0d36b82ef.html