ST. LOUIS–The slopes are hopping at Hidden Valley Ski Resort as it finally opened to the public about a week behind schedule. 

The Polar Plunge opened on Dec. 27 and the ski slopes opened on Dec. 25. The Wildwood, Mo. resort had a target day of Dec. 17 to open but wasn’t able to create enough snow by that date. 

The resort was able to take advantage of last week’s cold weather and made enough snow to open on Christmas Day. Tony Santora, Hidden Valley’s General Manager told Spectrum News earlier this month that below freezing temperatures and low humidity are the ideal conditions to make snow.

It took longer for the tubing on the Polar Plunge to open since that requires more snow than skiing. 

This is expected to be a busy week with many people off for the holiday. If you are planning a trip to Hidden Valley, the resort suggests you buy lift tickets and rent equipment online ahead of your visit. 

If you want to go tubing, you have to buy tickets in advance. The resort suggests afternoon and evening sessions tend to have more availability. 

This is Hidden Valley’s 40th anniversary. There are several events planned to help celebrate. You can check out the calendar of events, learn how to buy tickets, see the hours of operation and more on the resort’s website.