The weather was abominable on Ken and Allison Ransom’s wedding day.

“It was snowing so hard that all of our wedding pics are just nothing because we’re in the snow,” Ken Ransom said. “All you could see is just snow. … It was just so nice.”

Yet the Ransoms said the snowstorm was the perfect gift for the day, held at the top of Sunlight Mountain Resort.

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The inundation of powder was perfect for the pair. Allison still works and doesn’t have the luxury of endless free time, but the retired Ken is in an “elite” group, said Troy Hawks, Sunlight’s marketing and sales director.

“As many days as he does, there’s only a few guys that are actually up there as much as Ken is,” Hawks said. “For guests, it’s not a very long list. There’s probably a couple dozen.”

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Ken Ransom said he skis or snowboards 100 days a year. Around 70 of those days come at Sunlight.

For the pair of outdoor enthusiasts — Ken considers himself a ski bum, Allison considers herself a ski buff — powder plays a heavy role in their lives. They credit it for being the reason they started dating. Allison’s reason for moving from Connecticut to Colorado was her father getting a civil engineering job at the Beaver Creek Ski Resort development.

The proximity to Sunlight played a role in selecting Glenwood Springs as their home.

“I love going to Sunlight, especially just for the community up there,” said Allison Ransom, who is an early childhood educator at Glenwood Springs Elementary School by day. “I see a lot of my families up there and little ones that are now big ones and little ones now that are just starting to ski. I just love that community feel of having a great little local place to go.”

Allison will be at work during Friday’s Skier Appreciation Day at Sunlight, and it may be a rare day that Ken isn’t up there, either.

When you have all the time in the world to go skiing, why would you wait in line?

But for the less lucky, the day presents discounted $25 lift tickets, with all proceeds in support of United Way Battlement to the Bells.

Friday’s Skier Appreciation Day will be the 37th annual event, this year themed, “Heroes and Villains.” Guests are encouraged to hit the slopes dressed up in their best Marvel or DC-inspired gear. Extracurricular events include best costume contests, cornhole and other lawn games and a children’s donut eating contest put on by Sweet Coloradough. An online auction begins Friday, with skiing packages, Adventure Snowmobile tours, vacations and gift certificates in the pool.

Skier Appreciation Day has raised more than $500,000 since its inception in 1986, according to a release from United Way, all while trying to lure some of the more casual skiers into Sunlight’s inner circle.

“We very much appreciate that local skiers and riders have helped us raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for our local nonprofits,” Hawks said in the release. “We always look forward to seeing old friends on Skier Appreciation Day.”

Unlike last year, when the number of tickets sold was capped at 1,000, there is no limit for availability, Hawks said.

An unlimited number of patrons will have access to what Ken — and to a lesser extent, Allison — Ransom spend their entire winters doing: playing a role in the Sunlight community.

“You don’t get that feeling at most other resorts,” Ken Ransom said. “I don’t mind waiting in line at Sunlight. A busy day at Sunlight is still less busy than an off day at the big resorts.”

More information about Skier Appreciation Day is available at SunlightMtn.com, including lift ticket purchases.

Reporter Rich Allen can be reached at 970-384-9131 or rallen@postindependent.com.