The groomers are out, and the trails are open at Hardwood Ski and Bike just 11 months after a Christmas day fire ripped through the resort in Oro-Medonte.

The November snowfall is a bonus for the resort which will have its earliest full-time opening in years. 

Staff says it’s good new after spending months cleaning up and repairing after the fire.

 “We’ve set up a really nice operation for the winter,” says Gareth Houben.  “We have everything we used to have in a slightly different way.”

Houben says the resort isn’t finished yet. They have plans to rebuild bigger and better than before.

“We are proceeding with some plans to get a new chalet built with the goal of having it open for next winter.”

Hardwood will have as many as 1,000 people on a busy day hitting the trails.  More than 50,000 people will hit the slopes this winter.

Mount Saint Louis Moonstone also announced it will open early for the season.