For the dedicated readers, welcome back and thanks for being here. If you are new to Fortune Friday, this is where I share my personal insights on the latest here at the mountain, operational updates, and other inside intel, along with my favorite part - introductions to our amazing team members in a personal spotlight. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful and entertaining throughout the season.

Speaking of ski and ride season, it’s hard to believe that we’re only a week away from our official start! We plan to open on Friday November 17, conditions allowing. We still think we can hit that target, but as many of you have likely seen, we are dealing with the typical ebbs and flows of colder/snowier weather for this time of year. Our amazing snowmaking team started making snow a week ahead of schedule on October 26 and have gotten some good 24-hour shifts, allowing them to create a solid base. This week, temperatures have been on our side, and we will keep monitoring the forecast to make as much snow as we can in the lead up to our planned opening.

When we do open, you can expect our typical early season starting footprint on the California side, with a few runs opening off Powderbowl and Patsy’s, along with access to the mountain via Gunbarrel or the Tram. Our hours of operation will be Mon.-Fri., 9am – 4pm, and we will open at 8:30am on opening day, as well as weekends and on peak periods/holidays. Regardless of whether or not we have enough snow for skiing and riding next Friday, we will open the Gondola for sightseeing.

Speaking of the Gondola, in the last edition of Fortune Friday, I mentioned that we were undergoing a huge maintenance project to replace the gearbox, torsion shaft, and bull wheel bearings. I am happy to report that our incredible lift maintenance team and contractors handled this large project as expected, and the Gondola is ready to roll for another long run.

This season, we are implementing a reservations-based, carpooling, and paid parking program at the California Base area on weekends and holiday/peak periods only beginning December 16. As a reminder, vehicles with 4+ occupants park free with a reservation during those times at Cal Base. If you have questions, we have a great FAQ on the “Getting Here & Parking” page of our website. We encourage you to carpool or use public transportation. Whether you’re gathering a group for a big carpool or utilizing Heavenly Shuttles, Tahoe Transportation Buses, or Lake Link shuttles, all options are good ones as we work to keep vehicles off the road, reduce congestion, and reduce our environmental impact. Ultimately, we want to reshape the way guests think about transportation, parking, and arrivals within our mountain community, and in taking these actions, we can make a significant difference, together.

Finally, I just wanted to express my gratitude to all our amazing employees, and to all of you for making Heavenly so special. This is my 45th straight season working at a ski resort and every year there is a tangible excitement in the air as we approach opening day and honestly, it just never gets old!  I hope you are all as excited as I am to get back on the mountain!

More details about opening day are coming soon – hope to see you on the slopes!