Photo above is a “guess the image” thing from about 15 years ago, answer below…if you stand in line at Kohl’s or Target or Wal-Mart, or any shopping mall or so-called “outlet center,” you’re missing out on some of the finest early season skiing in years…of course if you’re doing same for the sake of family or your spouse or whatever, yes you get a pass for those reasons. It’s important to keep the peace on the homefront, and yes, there are even better days ahead…Pennsylvania’s Big Boulder reopening today for the weekend. They’re hoping to have sister resort Jack Frost open this weekend but unsure. If you don’t know the difference, Boulder is the one with a lake at the base area, caters to the park & freestyle crowd; Frost is the upside down one with a river at the bottom, caters to the regular alpine style but with a few hits here and there. They’re a scant few miles apart in “the Poconos,” which is where New Jersey and Kentucky bump into each other…speaking of Commonwealths, Jiminy Peak Massachusetts reopening this morning. They’re adding Upper & Lower Fox, Riptide, Willie’s Gulch, The Mogul Thing and Raccoon’s Den to the trail offerings today, should have three lifts spinning…up in New Hampshire, Loon Mountain sez they’ll drop the ropes on some of their North Peak terrain today, also getting a beginner section open…back to New Jersey, photo above is Mountain Creek’s Granite Peak, circa 2003…Associated Press reports that Ariel Quiros has reached a tentative settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Jay Peak / Burke Mountain / EB-5 fraud case. The settlement has been filed in a Florida court, however it still has to be approved by the commissioners of the SEC. Details are not yet available. Quiros and business partner Bill Stenger were accused of misusing more than $200 million raised from EB-5 investors. Stenger settled previously.