China Peak kicks off snow season with a whopping 5 feet of snow

CHINA PEAK, Calif. (KFSN) -- Ask anyone at China Peak Mountain Resort, and they'll tell you opening day was a success.

For the first time in ten years, China Peak kicked off the season on Thanksgiving weekend with a whopping five feet of snow.

Snowboarders and skiers saw more people pack the slopes on opening day last year.

Nicholas Gibson says he saw three times this crowd last year.

Despite the smaller turnout, he says Friday's snow easily eclipsed last year's opening.

"Some of the best powder runs I've had in my life to be honest."

Tim Cohee, the owner of China Peak Mountain Resort hasn't seen a storm dump this much snow on Thanksgiving since he took ownership in 2010.

However, he says ample snow doesn't mean instant access to all lifts.

"It's so much snow but so light but didn't pack so people are wondering, 'Why isn't the whole mountain open?'"

The day proved to be a success for many snow enthusiasts, but the storm didn't make the journey easy.

Many vehicles sat in standstill traffic near chain control as the snow fell from above.

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Many cars turned around or pulled to the side of the road to put on chains.

China Peak officials are expecting a bigger turnout for Saturday, anticipating they'll get 2,000 people once temperatures warm up and word gets out about the resort's opening.