But NZSki was waiting until today to make a call on whether it will open The Remarkables on Saturday.
Chief executive Paul Anderson said the Magic Carpet and Meadows Express would open at Coronet on Friday, from 9am, while Coronet Express would open for sightseeing only.
Inversion layers had been causing problems up the hills, meaning the temperature in the valley was colder than on the skifields, which had stymied snowmaking so far.
While it had been hard going, they still managed to get a "bit of success", but not enough to get Coronet Express running, Mr Anderson said.
"We just don’t have enough snow at the top of the mountain to get skiing up there [yet].
"We’ve got our heads down taking every opportunity we can to get snow made."
Coronet Peak ski area manager Nigel Kerr conceded conditions on the mountain "could be better, but we’ll deal with the hand we’ve been dealt".
"There have been years we haven’t got open [on time], so this is a better plan.
"It’s not ideal, but at least we’ll be spinning something and that’ll start things ticking in town, albeit slowly, and that’s part of what it’s all about."
Over at The Remarkables, it was a similar story, Mr Anderson said.
"We need to decide whether we can get chairlifts operating [for Saturday]."
Looking ahead, the forecast was not showing any signs of a much-needed delivery of white gold right now, with "much of the same" as the Wakatipu had experienced over the past week predicted.
"It’s going to be a slower start than we’d like [but] this is probably a more normal opening," Mr Anderson said.
"First on the chair" glory would still be up for grabs at Coronet tomorrow morning, but it would be on Meadows Express this year.
Over the hill at Cardrona, the opening was scheduled for Saturday but a decision would be made either way this week.
Again, snow was patchy.
Treble Cone was scheduled to open next Saturday.
