It. Is. Almost. Here.

The mountains are opening up — ski season has arrived. Heavenly Mountain Resort, Squaw Valley & Alpine Meadows, and Northstar California all open Friday.

They follow Boreal Mountain, which opened Nov. 9, and Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, which opened in late October and was the first resort in the region to kick off the 2018-19 season.

With this many resorts opening up (remember the all important caveat at the start of ski season: all dates are subject to weather conditions) it is practically impossible to contain the excitement.

Are the conditions some of the worst all year? Yes.

Will there be long lines and VERY limited terrain? Most definitely.

Will people down at lake level still be wearing shorts? Yes … but they’re called locals.

Ignore all of that. You’ve been waiting for this moment since last April — naysayers be damned.

All three resorts opening Friday upgraded their snowmaking capabilities over the summer, and some, mainly Squaw, have invested millions in upgrades to facilities in the past seven months.

To mark the start of the season, all three will host celebrations. Heavenly will have DJs starting at 8 a.m. in Heavenly Village and up on the mountain at 9 a.m. A gear raffle will take place outside Tamarack at 11:30 a.m. (Click here for more information.)

Northstar is hosting a Welcome Winter celebration all weekend. The fun gets underway Friday and will feature s’mores, sleigh rides, live music a more. It continues Saturday with a “Salutation to the Season,” a “Pass Holder Pub Crawl” and more. (Click here for more information.)

Squaw will host its Welcome to Winter party the following weekend. (Click here for more information.)