Bluewood Open for Skiing

DAYTON -Ski Blue­wood, celebrating its 35th year, opened just before Christmas to the delight of skiers from around the region and now everyone with their eyes on the mountain is hop­ing for more snow.

"Though we have been a bit limited on our actual snow pack, the good news is that our groomed slopes have been skiing quite nicely," general manager Jody Ream said. "The cat operators have done a most excellent job with their many efforts over the past week. Sure we would love to have another foot of snow or even an inch or two, but we're thankful for what we do have at this point time and we'll keep on keeping on enjoying the slopes."

Ski Bluewood's website indicates the mountain has 10 inches of snow at the base and 30 at the summit. Before press time, another accumu­lation of one to two inches was predicted for Tuesday, and possible more later in the week.

Bluewood is open all week through the weekend, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., then back to its normal schedule Thursday through Sunday, the same hours.

The two triple-chair lifts and platter pull are running, offering access to 24 runs on 400 acres of skiable terrain. Crews have been preparing for months to get the slopes ready for the 2013-2014 season.

The facility has a new generator, some new rental equipment, thinned areas for cleaner lines, a painted and cleaner interior, new terrain park features, a revamped lesson program and new bus options.

"Our open and groomed terrain consists of Country Road, Velcro, Slalom, Huck­leberry, Alderpatch, Tama­rack Trail, Skyline, Tama­rack, Nickel Bowl, Nickel Ridge, Walla Walla Sweet and Waterworks," Ream said Sunday. "We also have a nice variety of park features set up over on the platter area for our freestyle folks to enjoy. Additional slopes, terrain and features will be added as we move forth and receive more snowfall."