Skiers and snowboarders wait in line for the Windsor chairlift at the base area during Mt. Ashland Ski Area's opening day Thursday. A part that provides cable tension needed replacing and the chair, a main lift, didn't operate until late in the day for testing and still wasn't cleared for public use as of 7 a.m. Friday.

Parking lot supervisor Ben Bachman and lot attendant Carol Adam greeted visitors as they arrived about noon on Thursday at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area.

“Everybody’s happy to be here,” Bachman said. “We’re super happy to see everybody up here having a good time enjoying the snow and the mountain.”

“The vibe is amazing,” Adam said.

Thursday was opening day for the ski area, which had hoped to open a month earlier, but lack of snow prevented that. Snow was not a problem on Day One, however, except for slippery road conditions. At least one pickup truck went into a ditch.

Adam was on her first day on the job. During the summer she managed wildfire air tanker bases in Utah, Idaho and Nevada.

“This is going to be my winter gig,” the Ashland resident said. “I think cars are more dangerous than planes. Pilots listen to directions most of the time.”

The parking lot was packed full: 728 vehicles, by Bachman’s count.

“I can’t believe this many people came out,” Adam said.

In the lodge, the lunchtime crowd left few seats unoccupied. Hot dogs, pizza and fries were among the popular fare. Schools in Ashland were closed due to the weather and at least half the crowd seemed to be of that age. Outside the lodge, the wind chilled.

At about 2 p.m., snowboarder Michael Sistok was done for the day and done in. He sat beside a propane-fueled portable fire pit out in the parking lot, warming himself.

Six months ago, he busted his tibia sliding into third base while playing softball and didn’t know if he was going to walk again, but he worked himself back into shape, almost.

The first day back snowboarding gave him a workout.

“I’m beat,” he said. “My legs weren’t ready for it.”

Sistok, who owns 101 Tattoo in Medford, got to the ski area at 7:30 a.m. and was in line at the Windsor chairlift waiting for it to open at 9 a.m. when it was announced that the lift needed repair. A part that provides cable tension needed replacing and the chair, a main lift, didn’t operate until late in the day for testing and still wasn’t cleared for use as of 7 a.m. Friday.

“Everybody had to hike up to Ariel,” he said, referring to another chairlift that was a couple hundred yards away. “It was a little disappointing.”

But the snow was deep and Sistok was grateful that there was a ski area in the first place.

“It was out of their control,” he said. “I wouldn’t rip ‘em up too bad about it.”

He added: “Everybody just loves having somewhere to ski this close.”

“Food’s cheap. Everybody’s nice.”

Joining him at the fire was Justin Alexander, of Medford.

“Slow start, but pretty good snow,” Alexander said.

“I love it,” he said of the ski area. “The vibe’s so mellow.”

By 3 p.m., ski area general manager Andrew Gast was off the slopes and back in his cramped office on the top floor of the lodge.

“It’s been a good day,” he said.

Gast had got there at 5 a.m. and first checked in with groomers who had been working all night. He then checked in with others, including lift operators, ski patrol and lodge staff before heading out to the slopes.

Gast also checked road conditions and the weather forecast. Another foot of snow or more is forecast Friday and Saturday.

“It was very successful,” he said about Day One, which also was the ski area’s 60th birthday.

He expects more of the same this weekend, which is a three-day weekend for some because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday.

“I think it’s going to be an exceptionally busy weekend,” Gast said.

For more details, including ticket prices, mountain snow reports and webcams, and operating hours, see mtashland.com.