The southern ski season is set to begin with a hiss and a roar today despite warm weather and rain in the past two days.
With an eye on falling temperatures and the promise of fresh snow tomorrow, the operators of Coronet Peak and Cardrona Alpine Resort say it's a chance for locals to dust off their gear.
Coronet Peak ski area manager Ross Copland said good natural snowfall in the past two weeks had helped make up for fewer snow-making hours caused by warm temperatures on the mountain.
Rain since Thursday would do some damage to a 30cm-50cm base on the main trails, but snow was forecast to 600m tomorrow.
Cardrona general manager Bridget Legnavsky said big early falls of snow had provided a 30cm base, which meant all trails and lifts would be open this morning.
Six groomers had been working around the clock to prepare the skifield, and about 300 of the resort's 600 staff would be on hand to ensure a smooth operation.
"There will be wind, there will be snow, but the cafes are open, the place is white,'' Ms Legnavsky said.
"It's just going to be a nice place to be.''
Most skiers would be New Zealanders, Australians being due to arrive next month and, at some stage, an influx of Chinese skiers was expected.
Mr Copland said Coronet Peak's 550 staff were put through their paces yesterday by their counterparts from the Remarkables ski area, who played the role of guests.
Last year the ski area enjoyed record natural snowfalls as well as its best visitor numbers in four or five years, and he had high expectations for this season.
"We've had really good interest from early season bookings, so we're expecting to eclipse last year by some margin.''
He predicted night flights from Auckland and Melbourne would provide a particular boost to visitor numbers at the weekends.
"People can get on a plane at 7.30 on a Friday night and damn near make it here in time for night skiing.''
First in the lift queue at Cardrona today will be Lake Hawea resident Kelly Mackenzie, her son Luke and two friends.
Ms Mackenzie was nominated for the honour by a friend after her house burnt down on Tuesday night.
In a Facebook post, the resort said Ms Mackenzie "lost everything'' in the fire, including her bird and cat.
"After such an unfortunate event we really want to put a smile on Kelly and her family's dials,'' the post said.
