Members of the Ski Cape Smokey Society in Ingonish, N.S., are hoping for snowstorms so they can open part of the ski hill.

Larry Dauphinee, the chair of the society, said the group was ready to run the pommel lift last year but the weather didn't co-operate and there wasn't enough snow.

"Right now we do have some volunteers on the hill working on the lift to get it ready for inspection," he told CBC News.

"We're going to be relying on mother nature for snow, so that's going to be the big question. Last year we were ready to go but the snow didn't co-operate, so we've got our fingers crossed for this year."

Dauphinee said the ski hill — which has been closed for the past four years — will need two or three storms to accumulate enough snow to open.

"The mild weather the last couple of days has taken the snow that we did have last weekend," he said. "It would be great to have some nice, wet snow that we can pack and form a base."

Dauphinee said the society's focus is on getting a few runs open for the local school children.

The pommel lift services the lower half of Ski Cape Smokey.