Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

It only took a few days of colder weather for local ski hills to start producing enough snow to open at least some of the runs for this season.

The Hockley Valley Resort had opening day on Saturday, Dec. 19, with three runs open. That was pretty quick considering the previous weekend had a lot more grass visible than snow.

As of Saturday, one chair lift was operating.

At Blue Mountain in Collingwood, the resort announced 13 trails had been open as of Saturday as well as five lifts.

There will be a few changes if you are planning to hit the slopes this winter.

Currently you must book lift tickets in advance by going online. The number of tickets is limited this year, so the number of people can be controlled an monitored.

You must also wear a mask.

When going on the ski lifts, people must remain within their social bubble. Singles cannot hook up with another group for a ride to the top.

To eliminate the spread of COVID, some ski clubs will not be opening buildings.

That means there will be no warm up stations at some resorts, so be prepared to be outdoors the entire time you are at a ski hill.

As a result, some places are only offering tickets for four-hour intervals.

Hockley is issuing lift tickets for four-hour morning slots and four hours in the afternoon.

When it is fully open, Hockley has 16 ski runs, a magic carpet, and two terrain parks. It's convenient and close by location makes it a popular choice for skiers and boarders in Dufferin County.