Dodge Ridge Ski Area in Tuolumne County received more than 4 feet of new snow at the summit from last weekend's storm. Opening day may come late for the ski resort, but excitement is high.
This is one of the latest openings for Dodge Ridge which missed the Christmas ski season for lack of snow.
But Jeff Haugh with Dodge Ridge says 400 people who have been waiting for months to go to work are more than ready.
"We've been maintaining operations and ready to go as soon as we got that snow and it finally came and we'll be up and running on Thursday," Haugh said.
Tourism is the No. 1 private employer in Tuolumne County, but the Rim Fire, the government shutdown of Yosemite, and the lack of snow have delivered a triple blow to the local economy.
Haugh is hoping more snow in the next few weeks would allow Dodge Ridge to extend its season to make up for lost revenue.
"We'll be late as we possibly can and with Easter coming April 20th this year, yeah, we'll be open as long as people want to keep skiing and snowboarding," Haugh explained.
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