One local area ski hill is set to open this weekend, Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Albion, southeast of Burley, will have a portion of its slopes open for shredding today.

    Pomerelle has had recent storms that have delivered enough snow for a partial opening.

    “It is early season skiing and riding, with 75 percent of our slopes open,” said Jody Burrows, Pomerelle's General Manager.

    The mountain will not be open for glade (tree) skiing or boarding, however it averages more than 500 inches of snow per season and expect the entire hill to open soon.

    The mountain will be open this Saturday and Sunday, but will close mid-week and reopen for the remainder of the 2012-2013 winter season with daily operations beginning Saturday, Dec. 15.

    Operating hours will be 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily until Dec. 26, when night skiing and boarding will open five days a week from 4-9 p.m. Pomerelle's lodge, featuring food service and ski and snowboard rentals, as well as their snow school will also open today and remain open for the entire season.

    Valleywide bus service to Pomerelle will begin Dec. 15, for pickup times and location as well as the most up-to-date mountain conditions visit www.pomerelle.com or call 208-637-5555.

    Both Pebble Creek Ski Area and Kelly Canyon Ski Resort are just a snowfall or two away from opening on time in mid-December, and both mountain managers say they're ready.

    “We have a lot of snow on the upper mountain, about 22 inches,” said Pebble Creek Manager Mary Reichmann. “So what that means is when we get some good storms the upper mountain is going to have a fantastic open.”

    Historically, the average open date for Pebble Creek over the last 25 years has been around Dec. 16, with the earliest being Dec. 1, and the latest coming on Christmas. When asked if this season is on track with their average open date Reichmann said “Were on target and should be in good shape hopefully for around that time.”

    For up-to-date mountain conditions at Pebble Creek visit pebblecreekskiarea.com.

    Kelly Canyon manager, Todd Martin, echoed similar thoughts.

    “We're ready,” he said. “We don't need that much snow to be operational. We don't have any big, giant rocks to worry about.”

    Indeed, the runs are grassy meadows, albeit on the side of a mountain. And with about 6 inches of snow at the summit (about 7,000 feet), Martin said the resort only requires about a foot and a half of snow to open. This is different from some of the higher-elevation resorts that need up to 6 feet of snow to mask the boulders and rocks that lurk high up in the mountains.

    The forecast calls for possible snow today and both days next weekend at Pebble Creek, Kelly Canyon, and Pomerelle. So the opening date for the ski hills not yet open looks to be right on target, and Pomerelle should enjoy a little more white stuff on their opening day as well.

    As for Pebble Creek and Kelly Canyon, Martin says, until then, “Think Snow.”

    Matt Eichner, from the Standard Journal, contributed to this story.