EDEN -- Low temperatures have allowed sufficient snow-making, so Wolf Creek Utah ski resort will open today to the public, eight days before its projected opening.
Lifts start at 3 p.m. today and will be open various hours before the regular season begins Nov. 27.
While the recent snowfall has helped with the early opening for the season, the resort's snow-making machines are what make today's start possible.
The resort uses both automatic and manual machines to lay down a blanket of white on the mountain.
"We'll use them both at the same time where we have them located on the hill," said Bill Cox, general manager. "The automation is on the steeper slopes, for safety reasons."
Making all that snow to prepare for an early opening requires a lot of water to be stored to feed the machines.
The resort moves water from natural springs through a pipe into a holding pond, where it sits waiting for the temperature to fall consistently below 32 degrees.
"(The water) is diverted in the summer for agricultural use," Cox said. "And we have the rights in the winter. We pump the water from a storage facility to all the different snow-making machines that we have."
Water is fed into the machines and passes through condensed air, making water crystals that are blown out and form snow on the mountain.
"It's basically a process of air and water," Cox said. "The same process that happens naturally. The process is kind of a little bit art, and a little bit science."
The machines will cover about 60 percent of the terrain, Cox said, from midmountain and below.
He said the resort has water rights enabling it to spread three feet of man-made snow evenly over the ski hills.
Cox said snow-makers first cover the smallest hill, called "Oh My Heck" hill, then move up the mountain.
"We kind of have a methodology that starts with small trails open first," he said.
Cox said more natural snow is expected this weekend with storms in the forecast, which will make good skiing for those who want to take an early-season ride.
"I always like to point out that beautiful sunny skies and dry ground (in the valley) doesn't mean there isn't skiing to experience," he said.
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