PRINCETON, Mass. - Wachusett Mountain opened the ski season in style on Thursday, with plenty of fresh snow on the slopes for opening day.

It is believed to be the snowiest opening day on the mountain since 1989, and the benefit of multiple days of frigid temperatures beforehand allowed for the snowmaking crew to put down plenty of base ahead of the start.

Skier Jeffrey Tingle was the first one to make it to the bottom of the hill after the opening bell, cruising down Ralph’s Run trail with a broad smile on his face.

“This is the best opening day in years, it was brilliant out there,” Tingle said. “The mountain is beautiful, the coverage is incredible. Kudos to the snowmakers and the groomers, the staff has been fantastic.”

But as an eager crowd waited to hop on board the Minuteman Express lift shortly before 9 a.m., there was one seat left open on the first chair in memory of co-owner David Crowley, who passed away on Nov. 20 after a battle with a rare neurological disease called progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). He was 69.

Wachusett Mountain has always been a family business, and for David’s sister and fellow co-owner Carolyn Stimpson, it was a bittersweet opening day.

“David had an amazing life, he really lived the most out of his 69 years,” Stimpson said. “We lost him to PSP and buried him last week, and it’s a hole in your heart, but I feel like he’s here now. I mean, look at the temps, look at the snow. He’s here, with us.”

Crowley’s career spanned nearly 50 years, and staff at Wachusett Mountain credit him for helping vault the mountain from a small local operation to a widely-known resort nationally.

In a memorial on the Wachusett Mountain website, his contributions are listed in detail, including helping Wachusett win multiple national marketing awards from the National Ski Areas Association.

In lieu of flowers, the Crowley Family asks donations be made to Mass General Hospital for PSP research.