The wait is over! Snow Summit officially open for the season

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (KABC) -- In the words of Mariah Carey, "it's tiiiiime!"

Snow Summit officially opened for business on Friday, and excited skiers and snowboarders woke up bright and early to take their first laps.

The ski resort, which recently got about 5 inches of snow, opened at 9 a.m. with adult tickets starting at $79. Snow mixed with some rain is expected to arrive sometime on Saturday and will likely stick around through at least Monday.

This upcoming season, however, doesn't look as promising as Southern California is expected to be drier and warmer than average - typical for a La Niña winter.

But that isn't stopping some fans.

"I love it out here," said one visitor. "Gotta get that first chair."

Snow Valley, part of Big Bear Mountain Resort, will open next week but it's unclear when Bear Mountain will open.