BENNINGTON, New Hampshire ??” Crotched Mountain Ski & Ride surprised skiers and riders with an early opening for the 2005-06 season this past Sunday.

After only 36 hours of snowmaking, mountain crews were able to make more than enough snow for base depths approaching 3 feet in spots, allowing the mountain to achieve the early opening. Skiers and riders enjoyed their first turns of the season on 3 trails, including a small terrain park for snowboarders.

“We believe this is the earliest Crotched Mountain has ever opened, even going back to the 1960’s with the original ski area”, said Felix Kagi, General Manager. “We had a great opening day and it was nice to see Crotched as one of the first ski areas in New England to be open.”

Crotched Mountain will re-open Friday at 9:00am for skiing/riding after Thanksgiving day. With natural snow expected later this week, followed by excellent snowmaking temperatures, the mountain expects to add additional terrain during the weekend. The beginner area and children’s lesson programs (KidsKamp) will be available starting Saturday.

Crotched’s snowmaking system has been creating a lot of buzz over the past 2 years. Employing start-of-the-art fan gun technology along with a large water pump capacity, the system has the highest snow production per acre in New England.

Operating Hours for next weekend: Friday 9a-9p, Saturday 9a-9p, Sunday 9a-5p.