Mt. Zion to open today

By CHARITY SMITH

[email protected]

Ironwood — After a couple of miss starts, the Mt. Zion Ski Area plans to open today. The hill was originally scheduled to open on Dec. 19, but the opening was postponed twice due to a lack of snow.

Jim Vanderspoel, director of Mount Zion Operations and the Ski Area Management program at Gogebic Community College, told the Daily Globe Tuesday that there wasn’t much snow, but he said it is skiable. More snow was in the forecast later Tuesday.

“It is marginal. Tomorrow morning it will look a lot different then it does today,” Vanderspoel said. He said that he has a lot of man-made snow he will be pushing out to cover the thin areas.

“The way I always look at it is: If I would ski it, it’s ready to go. It’s skiable,” he said. “Is it pretty? No, but its skiable.”

Mt. Zion will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Jan. 1, and from noon to 4 p.m. on Jan. 2.

The tubing hill will not be open yet. “Mother nature just isn’t cooperating. We’re still making snow and were going to keep making snow until we get everything open,” said Vanderspoel.

The hill will close Jan. 3-6 and reopen for its regular season on Jan. 7.

The seasonal hours will be Tuesday 2 to 7 p.m., Thursday 2 to 6 p.m., Friday 2 to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4p.m., and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. The hill will be closed on Monday and Wednesday during the regular season.