A cross-country skier enjoys the fresh snow on Mirror Lake in the village of Lake Placid Friday morning. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

SARANAC LAKE — Ski conditions in the Tri-Lakes received a much-needed boost this weekend after several days of steady snow brought the region several inches of powder.

“Things are looking pretty great,” Dewey Mountain Recreation Center Groomer Matt Snizek said Friday from Saranac Lake.

According to Snizek, the lower trails look fantastic, with conditions “thinner up top.” There was around 3 inches of fresh snow on Friday morning when he was out grooming. With snow still falling Friday afternoon, and more forecasted for Saturday and Sunday, things are expected to get better.

The snow comes just in time for today’s East Coast Ski Conference Regional Championships, during which 16 northeastern colleges will compete for a chance to qualify for the USCSA National Championships.

“It should be pretty cool,” Snizek said.

Last weekend, Dewey was forced to cancel its Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Youth and Adult Cross Country Ski Race. The trails were basically solid ice after several warm, sunny days wreaked havoc on local conditions.

Snizek hopes to see a big influx of visitors during the coming Presidents Day holiday week, during which many schools around New York state and the nation will have a break.

“We’re prepared for them and we welcome them,” he said.

The Paul Smiths College VIC reported on Wednesday that its trails received 3 inches of fresh powder, with snow still falling. Except for the Bob Axtell trail and the Jenkins Mountain Backcountry ski zone, all trails reopened. Wednesday’s conditions report said the fresh powder is laying on a hard frozen surface and has not adhered well, but staff was out grooming and rolling the trails, with no set tracks. Conditions should be improving as new snow bonds to the base.

The James C. Frenette Sr. Recreational Trails in Tupper Lake will host the Empire State Winter Games Winter Triathlon today. According to a Friday conditions update, trails will open after the race around 1 p.m. The Fat Bike trail on the cart path is well-groomed and suitable for walking and biking.

Mount Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid reported 8 inches of snow on Friday, with 4 inches of dry powder.

Scotts Cobble Nordic Center in Lake Placid had 4 to 6 inches of snow as of Friday, with good conditions and some icy patches. According to Manager Dan Pope, who was still grooming Friday afternoon, all the trails have been rolled with no set tracks. The weekend is looking “really good,” he said. The lodge’s upstairs restaurant is open in time for the holiday weekend.

The Barkeater Trails Alliance reported on Thursday that conditions will improve for the weekend on any trail that still holds a base. Tuesday’s unexpected 1 to 2 inches of snow, along with 1 to 3 inches on Friday will further improve conditions. On the Jackrabbit Trail, both the Keene side of the Old Mountain Road section and the Lake Placid side of the McKenzie Pass section retained a base and should be excellent for skiing today. The Marcy Dam Truck Trail in the High Peaks Wilderness should be better, but not much. Boreas and Newcomb should be great with the recent new snow, according to BETA.

In Lake Placid, Whiteface Club and Resort Nordic Center Operator Perry Babcock said on Friday that trails got about 4.5 to 5 inches Thursday night, which he has groomed several times for a good base. With snow still falling on Friday evening, he is expecting 6 inches of sturdy base.

“We’re in pretty optimal position (for the holiday weekend),” he said.

Traditionally, he said, Christmas and Presidents Day weeks are the center’s busiest for the winter. He’s hoping for high traffic.

“Now that we’ve got a bunch of snow, it should be a pretty good week for us,” he said.

The Cascade Welcome Center in Lake Placid reported Friday that its trails received 4 inches of snow on Thursday night, and all trails on the center’s side of the brook that intersects the property were open with a set track.

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Alpine

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“TGIF and thank Mother Nature because it snowed,” Erik Petersen said in his Friday daily conditions report at the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center in Wilmington.

“Ugh, we’re so happy that it snowed,” Whiteface Marketing Manager Lauren Garfield said.

Whiteface has been making a lot of snow in the past week, she said. The mountain now has 69% of its terrain open — 69 out of 96 trails and 9 of 13 lifts. On Friday, the only lifts not open were the Cub Carpet, Mountain Run and Lookout Mountain.

Olympic Regional Development Authority Communications Director Darcy Norfolk said the Wilmington Trail — the longest on the mountain and a fan favorite — is expected to open this weekend with the Lookout Mountain lift.

Garfield said they’ve been waiting for natural snow again for a while. Garfield said the mountain has seen 74 inches of natural snow so far this season. They usually have around 100 inches at the end of the season.

“Unless we have a super-snowy March, which, keep your fingers crossed, it might be a challenge getting there,” she said.

“The truth is, Mother Nature makes it extremely challenging,” Norfolk said They’ve been dealing with variable weather and inconsistent windows of snowmaking opportunities.

Norfolk said when ORDA venues have struggled with outdoor recreation, its indoor recreation venues have been full — such as curling or skating.

“We’re expecting a very busy week,” Norfolk said of the Presidents Day holiday.

Garfield said the moderate snow accumulation has been good in the past few days. It’s good to not a have a dumping before a holiday weekend, because that makes for friendly snow, less intimidating to new or learning skiers.

In Saranac Lake, Mount Pisgah Manager Andy Testo said the snow season has been rough this year, but they’ve been able to keep snow on all the trails.

“It’s been on again, off again all winter long,” Testo said.

They mountain has been cranking out snow the past several days. Before that it was off for four-and-a-half days; on for six days before that, and off for two days and on for two days even earlier.

The mountain has new water piping, which Testo said has allowed him to install 10 new hydrant locations.

The snow “took a beating” with the warm spell, but they were able to pull off all the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival events without a hitch — White Stag ski races, innertube races and torchlight skiing.

He said the warmth has produced spring skiing conditions, but people are still turning out to have fun. A group skinned up to the summit on Friday morning to catch the first powder.

Testo said he’s expecting a busy Presidents Day weekend.