Wildcat Mountain Begins the 2008/2009 Season Offering Visitors a “White Friday” Alternative. Early Season Start Gives Promise for Another Legendary Season.

Pinkham Notch, NH, November 30, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The 2008/2009 skiing and riding season at Wildcat Mountain began quietly under snowy skies the morning of Friday, November 28th. The day following Thanksgiving is traditionally referred to as "Black Friday", but there is white in the higher elevations of Pinkham Notch and on Mt. Washington along with cold temperatures that have been beneficial for snowmaking operations. The Wildcat Mountain faithful and early enthusiasts took advantage of the Bobcat lift servicing both the mid to lower-mountain Bobcat and Cheetah trails classic intermediate pitch. A surprise, soft, couple inches of fresh morning snow blanketed the perfectly groomed terrain allowing skiers and riders to work out early season turns and awaken certain leg muscles that may have remained dormant since the weekend of April, 27th of 2008 last spring when Wildcat Mountain had concluded its previous 50th anniversary season.

“There is a dedicated crew of mountain operations personnel who make opening day possible. They have been involved with improving our on-hill snowmaking pipe network and utilizing 36 new low-energy snowmaking guns,” said General Manager Tom Caughey. “It’s that team effort and experience that continues working to open additional terrain and to have us skiing and riding from the summit as soon as possible.” If the weather and temperatures remain consistently cold as they have, Wildcat Mountain will be closed following the post-Thanksgiving weekend to continue full snowmaking and grooming efforts and for safety reasons the public is asked to refrain from accessing all trails while the resort is not open and not patrolled. Wildcat will re-open Friday, December 5th and it is hoped that New Hampshire’s most powerful Wildcat Express high-speed summit quad servicing over 2,100' will open at that time. Also scheduled to be available soon is the Snowcat Slope novice area, our ski school services available weekends only by reservation before operating daily during and after the Christmas vacation period, and this December the new Wildcat Jib Lot, a progressive freestyle terrain area featuring the newly acquired 24' flat box, 16' flat bar, and 24' foot rainbow box elements will be ready to session. Up to date reporting and info can be found at skiwildcat.com.

“There is always a sense of anticipation leading up to opening day and you’d love to have everything with the green light on and deliver on the top ten ratings in the East for lifts, snow, terrain, challenge, value, and overall satisfaction that readers of SKI Magazine awarded Wildcat Mountain in their October issue,” said Director of Marketing Thomas Prindle. “But we keep a sense of reality that it is still early and ask that a little bit of this enthusiasm be bottled for spring when we have consistently remained open long after many resorts have closed. However, we can always promise to deliver on Wildcat’s rating #1 rated scenery in North America.” Early reduced ticket prices reflected this weekend’s limited lifts and terrain, but the Wildcard remains an avenue to capitalize on vertical value at Wildcat when regular rates go in to effect. Available for purchase until December 22nd, the Wildcard can be considered a non-transferable mini-season pass offering 3 days of skiing or riding valid anyday all season for only $130. When combined with our next day upgrade price of only $39 anyday, the Wildcard is an easy way to become part of the legend this season even it’s just a handful of mid-season powder days sometime during the 200+ inches of season annual snowfall average.

Wildcat Mountain is a year-round, family-owned business, located 100% within the White Mountain National Forest in Pinkham Notch, NH. It is home to the 75-year-old Wildcat Trail first cut by the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1933, New England’s longest 4-season ZipRider® cable ride, and is renowned for its proximity to Mt. Washington and Tuckerman Ravine. For further information, please visit www.skiwildcat.com or call 1-888- SKI WILD.

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