Hidden Valley To Open Wednesday for Snow Sports

Hidden Valley Ski Resort staffers wanted snow for Christmas, but the white powder didn't arrive this year.

However the past two nights of colder temperatures enabled the local resort to make their own snow—with more confidence that it will stick around.

With weather predictions for the week in mind, Hidden Valley's Wildwood-based team members said the plan is to open Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Update 12:55 p.m.: General Manager Bill Brandes just confirmed with Eureka-Wildwood Patch the resort WILL OPEN Wednesday afternoon as planned.

Brandes said there is enough of a snow base to open and will "go from there."

Earlier, Brandes said they were "still shooting to open tomorrow afternoon," although it was "not a final decision."

"As of this morning, we're still trying to get there," he said, taking a quick break from making snow.

By Tuesday afternoon, Brandes said temperatures below freezing, along with low humidity, were key to skiing, boarding and tubing conditions. The focus was on grooming the machine-produced snow.

Apparently, most ski resorts across the United States have had a difficult time accumulating or keeping enough snow base for this winter's season, he said.

The Hidden Valley resort has 12 ski trails as well as a snow tubing area. New for this year, group rates for 15 to 50 people are offered for the Polar Plunge tubing area.

A Hidden Valley snow report hotline is available as a way to get status and time-sensitive updates throughout the season: 636-938-6999.

Editor's Note:  Due to the weather dependency for skiing, snowboarding and tubing, check back on Patch for updates and/or call the Hidden Valley snow report before heading to the resort.