Skiers and snowboarders, rejoice! Casper Mountain is officially open for business.

Winter's first significant snowstorm finally arrived last weekend, leaving up to 2 feet of snow on Hogadon Ski Area. Gary Vantrease, operations manager at Hogadon, said workers have since been taking advantage of cold weather to make snow, and up to 6 inches of fresh powder had fallen Wednesday morning.

The result is that skiers will enjoy a limited opening Saturday. Vantrease said the Morning Dew, Park Avenue, Park Cut Off, Road To, Holiday and Wild Turkey runs will be open, and if the snow continues to fall, skiers and snowboarders may see the ropes come down on additional runs.

"The lifts start at 9 a.m., and we'll have as much as we possibly can open," Vantrease said. "We won't open anything that's not safe or that's going to tear up skis. ... With more snow, who knows? I'll update on Friday."

Vantrease added lift tickets will be discounted to $17 "for all categories," because of the limited opening.

The snow also created opportunities for cross-country skiers, when the Casper Mountain Nordic Trails opened for business Wednesday. Groomer Joe Gillingham said conditions were good and should improve with Wednesday's fresh snowfall.

"We've probably got about a 4-inch base," Gillingham said. "We got about 20-22 inches out of this last snow."

Gillingham added the Nordic Trails Center is scheduled to open Saturday when the Casper high schools host a cross-country competition.