Taylors Falls, MN – The title for the first North American ski resort to open for the season goes not to perennial favorites Loveland Ski Area or Arapahoe Basin, both in Colorado, but to an underdog in Minnesota.

In the midst of its annual fall open house, Wild Mountain officials this morning opted to take advantage of cold weather to expand upon the snow provided for its 2012 Log Jam, which took place yesterday, by making snow for public skiing and snowboarding today on the Dandy novice slope, serviced by a rope tow.

While it may not be top-to-bottom or edge-to-edge, Wild Mountain is typically the first ski area to open in the Midwest, and once before has placed first in the nation to open for the winter season.

“The earliest we’ve ever opened is October 18th in 1982,” explains Wild Mountain vice president Amy Frischmon.