ELLICOTTVILLE, N.Y. -- It's a day snow sport enthusiasts wait for every year.

"We pray for snow Thanksgiving. Any amount of snow is great, as long as they can open," said Glen Darrah, who was visiting from Ohio.

Darrah's daughter Hannah added, "It's just because all the hills are so nice. And I think it's something for a nice weekend to have a lot of fun with your family."

Mike Paterniti, who lives in Ellicottville said, "Opening day at Holiday Valley is like a holiday. We wait six months for it or even longer every year. Get to see people we haven't seen in months. It's like family."

Even though the snow has been sparse, Holiday Valley opened a handful of slopes Friday to welcome the first skiers of the season. They've been prepping for this weekend, making snow whenever the temperatures dip below 24 degrees.

"We've made about 100 acre-feet of snow, the equivalent of 100 acres with one foot of snow, which is spread throughout the area," said Jane Eshbaugh, the Holiday Valley marketing director.

Eshbaugh says that even though Saturday was around 50 degrees, because the man-made snow is so dense, it should be able to hold for a while. But they're still hoping for colder days to be able to showcase all of the new amenities.

"We spent about 3.4 million dollars to improve the resort. A lot of that was in increasing our automated snow making system. We put in 75 new automated guns and lots of new pipelines," said Eshbaugh.

Down in the Village of Ellicottville, business owners are just as excited for the start of the season.

"This is the time of year that we wait for, for the resort to get open and people to be really excited," said Spencer Timkey, The Boardroom manager.

And everyone is holding their breath for a good season.

"Two years ago, no one really likes talking about because that was really bad. And last year, we started really well, but then we had 70 degree days in February, which obviously, coupled with a ski resort and a snowboard shop is not the best thing," said Timkey.

Owners of shops and slopes in Ellicottville are hoping for cold, snowy nights to attract more customers.

Holiday Valley will be closed Monday through Thursday but will re-open Friday, weather permitting.