MOUNT HOREB, Wis. — Warmer weather is on the way to Wisconsin, just as some ski hills in the state prepare for their opening weekends. 

There may not be much snow around southern Wisconsin, but at Tyrol Basin in Mount Horeb, there’s plenty. Jeremiah Jimenez, the outside operations manager, is seeing to it.

“A lot of groomers have been working day and night to keep the hill open,” he said.

Tyrol Basin opened for the season Nov. 30. Owner and general manager Nathan McGree said the colder temperatures over the past few weeks have been a huge help in snow-making efforts.

“We’re glad to make a ton of snow,” McGree said. “You know, the Orange Army was out for deer hunting season last week and it was a week later than normal. But there's been many a year where we have lots of snow already when gun hunting is happening.”

Warmer weather on the way for a few days might seem like cause for concern in this business, but McGree said it comes with the territory.

“We’re used to dealing with the weather and adjusting to temperatures and whether we get snow or rain or warm or cold, we work out what the weather's going to be and we plan to make a whole lot of snow when it's cold,” he said.

Jimenez said all the snow they made this week will be a big benefit for skiers who come out over the next few days. He said a few warm days this weekend won’t have much of an impact on the skiing experience.

“We'll stop for a little bit, but luckily next week it looks like it's going to be cold, so we'll be able to start back up right away,” he said.

They hope the warm weather attracts a few more skiers and snowboarders this weekend. People won’t have to bundle up as much to enjoy the slopes. 

“I think we'll see maybe a few more people because it's a little bit warmer versus the cold we've been having,” McGree said. “Hopefully, we'll have a lot of people out this weekend to enjoy the snow and this should be a good weekend.”