Once we were on the mountain though, it was all good.  The temperature was a bit cold, but not unbearable, and there was plenty of snow, groomed to perfection.  But the big bonus was the lack of crowds, which allowed us to take many runs - and with the lift ticket costing only $20, we had it down to well under $1 per run before we decided to quit - tired and thirsty, but satisfied that we got plenty of skiing in.  Fortunately there was a bar at the midstation lodge where we were able to stave off dehydration before heading back down to the bus!

Next year, I'll work on moving the morning departure time back a little.