Vail will open for the season on Friday with machine-made snow on two runs at the upper mountain, along with two areas of beginner terrain with lessons available.

As usual, Vail’s opening day offerings will be the Ramshorn and Swingsville trails from the mountain’s 11,250-foot summit down to Mid-Vail. Ramshorn is an intermediate trail and Swingsville is rated easy. Skiers and riders will have to download from Mid-Vail to leave the mountain.

Lifts will be running from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with complimentary strudel.

Natural snow in the high country remains sparse, but finally there is hope.

“The current stretch of dry and warm weather will continue through Saturday with snowmaking confined to the nighttime hours,” according to OpenSnow founding meteorologist Joel Gratz . “From Sunday

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