Sunlight Mountain Resort is opening Tercero Lift on Wednesday after a delayed start to the season for lack of early snow, a resort spokesperson said.

“We’ve seen a solid 15 inches of snow so far, and there’s more in the forecast for next week,” said Troy Hawks, the resort’s sales and marketing director. “Our snow guns are blazing, and we’re going to make as much use of all the cold weather we have.”

The first run to open is slated to be Midway, and more terrain could open by Saturday if the weather forecast holds true. But there is no set timeline for opening the rest of the mountain.

---

---

“Opening more than the Midway Run requires the snowstorm forecasted next week to come through,” Hawks said.

As resort staff ramps up snowmaking efforts, the mountain is closed to all uses as a safety measure. However, people can use Babbish Gulch, which can be accessed through the resort’s West parking lot.

---

---

Electric vehicle owners have the opportunity to take advantage of two-for-one lift tickets Friday through Sunday as part of the opening weekend celebration, and Hawks said the “Shred with Santa” event is scheduled for Saturday.

“Everyone can come out and visit Santa, take photos with him and enjoy some hot chocolate,” he said. “It’s a great family event.”

Opening day was previously scheduled for Dec. 10, but the resort postponed opening because of a lack of natural snowfall.

“We’ve got good snow up there now — things changed pretty much overnight,” Hawks said. “We still need more, but we’re ready for people to start coming up and enjoying the mountain.”

Reporter Ike Fredregill can be reached at 970-384-9154 or by email at ifredregill@postindependent.com.