WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — Snow Trails welcomed stir-crazy skiers and snowboarders Sunday, the slope’s first official day of the winter season.

Snow Trails reported earlier in the week that slopes would likely open during the weekend. The website announced Friday they would open the gates starting Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Snow Trails Marketing Manager Nate Wolleson said Sunday the snow-making team were able to put in a straight 87 hours of snow making, creating near perfect conditions for skiers.

“There’s about four inches of natural snow,” Wolleson said. According to the website, the slopes’ base was able to accrue to nearly 24 inches. “We pumped around 15 million gallons of water.”

He said the temperatures starting Wednesday were perfect for making snow. The crew plans to continue to make snow throughout the week, as the weather forecasts show low temperatures in the teens.

National Weather Service calls for snow flurries starting Sunday afternoon through Wednesday with temperatures dipping down in the low 20s.

“It’s fantastic,” Wolleson said. “We went straight to winter and we’re never looking back.”

Frank Chillemi, of Bellville, was excited to join the skiers and snowboarders to carve in the freshly packed snow Sunday. He said he first learned to ski at Snow Trails in the 1960s.

“But then I blew out my knee, I was out in Colorado. And my doctor told me I should switch to snowboarding. So I’ve been boarding for about 25 years now,” Chillemi said.

“I do it for the exercise. It gives me something to do instead of sitting inside and watching TV,” he added.

Wolleson said he expects Snow Trails to be 100 percent open by Friday, including the tubing park and the terrain parks.

“We opened with more trails than I expected though,” Wolleson said. “It’s a great day to open and a good Sunday, even for a mid-season day.”

Snow Trails is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The trails will be open on peak days, Dec. 17 through Jan. 2, Jan. 16 and Feb. 20 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Check the website for holiday hours and tubing prices and hours.