The ski season is starting to pick up in Western Massachusetts after a slow start and wild weather last month. Resorts throughout the Berkshires are preparing for a busy weekend, while skiers and snowboarders enjoy the freshly fallen snow.

"It's still early on in the season, but this has been the best day we've had so far this year," said Donna Punt, a skier from Manchester, New Hampshire.

Ski resorts throughout the Berkshires hope it will stay that way, at least through this weekend, when each resort is expecting thousands of skiers to leave their tracks on the slopes.

"There's a lot of people that have been skiing this week, even though it's been very cold," said Roy Schaefer, owner of Berkshire East Ski Resort in Charlemont.

At Berkshire East on Friday, there was an estimated 1,800 people on the slopes, and most head there because of the icy cold temperatures. Ski resort officials say the colder it is, the better.

"The cold weather really helps with snow making. At 10 degrees you make ten times more snow than at 28-degrees. So when you have cold, dry weather, that's the best for snow making," Schaefer said.

Roy's son, John maintains the slopes at Berkshire East and says it's all about persevering through the frigid conditions.

"The guns tend to freeze up, but we've been doing great," John Schaefer said.

But after messy December weather from ice storms to record warmth, the resorts are hoping to make up for lost time. About 60 miles to the south at Blandford Ski Area, the mountain manager there said it has been fairly slow up until this week. The are still recovering from ice damage and power outages just a few weeks ago. Regular skiers say it has been worth the wait... hitting the hills now more than ever.

Area ski resorts expect to see anywhere from two to 4,000 people this weekend.

"It's probably going to be a barn burner because we had about eight inches of new snow a couple days ago and we're making snow around the clock," Schaefer said. "The skiing is outstanding."