"This is fantastic news and as you can see it's snowing right now." Badger Pass resort official Sean Calloway said.
The small ski resort inside Yosemite National Park was remodeled over the summer and ready to open mid-December, but the snow never came. More than 100 employees were left waiting to go to work.
"I just kept myself busy and praying that it would snow," Badger Pass employee Susan Erhert said.
The rush now is to get ready for downhill skiers. Maintenance crews are shoveling snow and ski shop workers are rushing to get rentals ready. Ski instructor Harry Bandenburg is amongst those brushing up on their training techniques.
"The last time that we did instructor training was a month and a half ago so I'm super excited to be back at work," Bandenburg said.
The area initially opened only for people with snow shoes and cross country skiers. However, ski instructors were the only ones on the slopes.
The National Park Service gave the okay for Badger Pass to open for downhill skiing and snowboarding this weekend.
