Whitefish Mountain Resort will open for the winter season Thursday as planned, even as a round of undeveloped snow soaked the region.

Rain of subtropical origins was falling on Big Mountain on Wednesday afternoon, but the 10 inches of fresh powder that accumulated over the prior weekend proved to be just enough for resort operators to have the entire north side of the mountain and the East Rim area ready for the season opener.

All terrain accessed from the backside Chair 7 will be available to skiers and snowboarders. Additionally, chairs 3, 5, 6 and 11, as well as T-Bar 2 will open.

Chair 1 will be used to access the summit and backside terrain, and for downloading back to the base area. Due to weight limits, only one out of every three chairs will be loaded Thursday.

Chair 1 opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. Resort officials advise that uploading may close earlier in the afternoon to allow for increased downloading capacity. Chair 7 stops loading at 3:30 p.m., however officials said all lift times are subject to change for opening day.

Wednesday’s snow report showed a 30-inch base at the summit, with 55 inches total on the season. The base area had 6 inches of snow.

The snow level was expected to lower overnight Wednesday, with 5-9 inches of new snow on the summit predicted by Thursday evening. The base area could see 2-6 inches of snow.

Resort snow reporters emphasized the need to take it easy with early-season conditions.

“… take it slow and look out for buried hazards that could snag your edges,” the Wednesday report stated.