Snow sport enthusiasts don't judge winter's arrival by a calendar. For them, the season arrives the first time they can strap on a pair of skis or bring the snowboard out of summer retirement.

Over 4,000 people hit the slopes this weekend at Blue Mountain as the Palmerton area resort celebrated its earliest opening in 38 years.One of only two Pennsylvania mountains open on Saturday and Sunday, Blue Mountain capitalized on lower than average temperatures and state-of-the-art snowmaking equipment to make an early start date a reality.Over the past seven days, temperatures have dropped as low as 15 degrees locally, according to the National Weather Service."We started making snow last Thursday," said Morgan Bell, Blue Mountain marketing specialist, on Sunday. "Over half of our mountain has automated snowmaking. We've been getting an incredible response over the weekend. Saturday was a really great day for us. Guests are really pleased with the condition of the mountain."One of those guests was Nick Balsamo, a Richmond, Virginia, native who recently moved to Philadelphia.As a Florida State University graduate, Balsamo didn't see much snow during his college years."I did some snowboarding in high school, but I haven't been doing this for a very long time," he said. "With it being so cold the last couple of weeks, I've been excited to get out. For what the mountain is right now, I think it's in great shape. I'm really glad they have been able to open so early."Alberto Lopez, Todd Edwards and Josue Martinez, all of Camden, New Jersey, were all repeat visitors to Blue Mountain."We've been here one other time," Martinez said. "I think it's a really great place with all they have to offer."For Edwards, a self-proclaimed rookie, Sunday was a matter of staying on his feet."It's early in the season so I'm just trying not to break an ankle or something," he said.In the parking lot, Downingtown's Brian Acton couldn't get his gear unpacked quickly enough.A perfect set of circumstances brought him to the mountain with his 10-year-old son, Jace."It's a beautiful day weatherwise and I'm not a fan of the real bitter cold days, so I like to get out early in the season," he said. "The earlier we can start a season, the better off it is in my opinion."Not only is Blue Mountain open a week earlier than last year, but it also has the most trails, 11, open for a first weekend.The trails included Easy Out, School Hill, Vista, Lazy Mile, Barney's Bumps, The Chute, Lower Main Street, Midway, Upper Main Street, X-ING and Come Around-9.Around a quarter of the mountain's 16 lifts were also in operation.Blue Mountain added six snowmaking pumps over the summer, increasing its output to 14,000 gallons per minute.Sunday's base was between 24 and 36 inches of snow.Throughout the winter, guests will find various changes at Blue Mountain including a Learning Center, now based in the Valley, at the bottom of the mountain.A new 7,443-square-foot children's Learning Center will cater to kids between 4 and 12 on three acres of terrain.Guests ages 13 and older can access the Valley Learning Center, which will use three carpet lifts to take students to higher terrain as they learn at their own pace."Our Slopeside Pub and Grill has expanded to 450 additional seats inside," Bell said. "We have six terrain parks and 21 slides at our tubing park. Our guest services have also been updated. Locker rooms, bathrooms and main lobbies have been expanded to make things more comfortable for guests."Blue Mountain will be closed Monday through Thursday this week but, weather permitting, will open for the season on Friday.