Friday will be Brundage Mountain's second-latest opening day in the ski area's 50-year history; the latest was Jan. 8 in 1977. The McCall-area ski resort announced this afternoon that after receiving 9 inches of new snow in the past 48 hours, it's ready to open to skiers Friday morning; it now has 18 inches at the base and 24 at the top, and it's still snowing. "We may not have as many runs groomed as we normally do on opening day," said April Russell, resort spokeswoman, "but we're eager to get our skiers and riders on the slopes so they can enjoy some holiday turns."

Brundage will have about 1,200 of its 1,500 acres open on Friday, with just limited grooming; the front side of the mountain will be open from 9:30 to 4:30 p.m. There's more info here.