A dip in temperatures this past weekend allowed North Carolina’s Sugar Mountain Resort to fire up its guns, and it made enough snow to launch its season at 9 a.m. on Monday, November 17, 2008.

Snowmaking began at 3 p.m. Saturday, November 15 on the Upper and Lower Flying Mile slopes. The slopes are currently covered with a manmade and natural powder surface. Sugar Mountain is expecting continued cold temperatures and occasional snow showers throughout the week, which may allow the Easy Street and Northridge trails -; as well as night skiing -; to open by the end of the week.

Historically, Sugar Mountain is one of the first ski areas in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast to open, thanks to its lofty 5,300-foot peak elevation. In an average year, it opens prior to Thanksgiving. Last year, Sugar Mountain was able to open Upper and Lower Flying Mile on November 7, 2008.

Sugar Mountain will be selling full day session lift tickets for $25 and half-day session tickets for $20 during this early season.

Sugar Mountain is not the first North Carolina resort to open for the 2008-2009 winter season. A blast of cold air in late October allowed North Carolina’s Cataloochee ski area to briefly open two trails on October 28, snagging one of the earliest (if brief-lived) opening dates in the U.S. Cataloochee plans to re-open on November 22.