PALMERTON--
After a few chilly days and below freezing nights area ski resorts are taking advantage of mother nature's early taste of winter.
Some resorts plan to open by the end of the week hoping to draw in crowds a little early this year.
On Monday workers spent yet another day preparing for the 2013-2014 ski season.
"We've been able to make snow full to our water capacity. We basically can put down 11,000 gallons a minute and we're going to be open for Black Friday," Blue Mountain General Manager, Jim Dailey said.
Dailey says he is confident that the resort will be able to open seven trails on Black Friday.
He said the rain and sleet forecasted for this week should not have any major impacts.
If everything goes as planned, opening on Friday will tie for one of the earliest dates the resort has opened its trails.
"We're tied for our earliest opening. We opened on November 29 once before I think back in 2008. Normally we get opened around the second week of December," Dailey said.
Dailey estimates that between 200,000 - 350,000 people hit the trails at Blue Mountain every year.
While it is good news for the resort, one local business says the resort its even better for them.
"It brings in a lot of the customers that are passing through," Christal Wrenn of Miller's Market said.
Just down the road from the resort workers at Miller's Market in Lehigh Township say business is booming when Blue Mountain opens for the season.
"They come in and they're like, 'oh you guys make sandwiches, can we get five of them.' It's like yeah, yeah, everyone is a mess because we have to cut the lunchmeat. It's small but we make it work and we have fun doing it. We call it a dinner and a show," Wrenn said.
Even though other resorts have already opened for the season workers at Blue Mountain say they're happy they held off and expect a great season ahead.
"We could have stretched it, have a walk up park a very narrow path. That's not the type of product we want to put out. We're going to be ready to go on Friday. I think people are going to be pleased with what we got and everything worked out great," Dailey said.
Blue Mountain plans to open seven of its trails on Black Friday starting at 8:30 a.m.