Dig out those downhill skis or that snowboard ... winter's almost here and the ski hill will be open.

The Friends of Mount Sima group announced early this afternoon it has raised the necessary cash to get the hill operating for the 2013/2014 winter season.

Cheers and applause were heard throughout the Sport Yukon building as Friends president Laurie Henderson said the much-anticipated words: "Mount Sima will be open this year.”

It's aiming to open the doors by Dec. 20 for a 68-day operating season.

"We are very excited to have made the decision to open Mount Sima this year,” Henderson said in a statement.

"We met with our partners and many volunteers on Saturday, looked at the numbers and decided that we have the core elements of a winter 2013 operation in place. So here we go.”

She went on to acknowledge that while there are funds in place to move forward with the opening, "this is not risk-free.”

Snow levels and other weather conditions will factor into the success of the upcoming season.

The announcement today included a long list of thank-yous expressed by Henderson to people who had worked on the pledge campaign as well as sponsors and others. With each thank-you came applause.

"(There's) absolutely no doubt in my mind this could not have been done without the support of the Whitehorse community,” she said.

The Friends of Mount Sima group was formed earlier this year, following a vote last July by the board of the Great Northern Ski Society (GNSS) to close the hill amid significant financial problems.

The non-profit society has operated Mount Sima since it opened nearly 20 years ago.

The GNSS has focused on paying off the accounts owed – with various entities like the city and Yukon government providing funding for debts like the chairlift and money to local creditors.

Meanwhile, the Friends have worked to get the hill open again for the winter, working on a pledge program where supporters promised to buy a season's pass, donate or sponsor the hill.

Those who made pledges were encouraged to pay up by Sunday so the group could decide if the hill could reopen.

Approximately 800 season passes were pledged to be purchased.

"We have converted over 500 pledges for season passes and donations into over $215,000 cash in the bank over the last two weeks,” the Friends said.

"This has added substantially to the funds available from Softball Yukon, Yukon government and others who have confirmed full support for the hill. We are looking forward to the season's start.”

Through the pledge program, rates were set at $395 for an adult (ages 19 to 64) pass, $320 for a senior (65 years plus) or youth (ages 13 to 18) pass and $200 for a child (ages six to 12) pass.

With the hill set to operate on a $1-million budget for its estimated 68-day season, Friends vice-president Rod Taylor said it has half the money ($500,000) it's expected to need for the entire season available before the season starts.

Taylor said he expects more money from pledges to come in over the next week.

Those who haven't paid up on their pledges will be given until Oct. 31 to do so. After that, rates will increase, though no decision has been made on how much they will go up.

Softball Yukon put forward $20,000 for the Friends of Sima group along with a $50,000 bridge loan, with the Yukon government having stated it will match up to $70,000 in sponsorship.

Winter user groups of the hill – the Alpine Ski Association, Snowboard Yukon and the Yukon Freestyle Ski Association – are each applying for a $20,000 grant from the Arctic Winter Games legacy fund that would go to the hill.

Don Wilson, who was involved with the winter operation of the hill a few years ago, is set to serve as the acting general manager.

"Don's familiarity with the operation is a great bonus for us,” Henderson said. "His experience, combined with the skills of facility manager Sam Oettli and operations manager Hendrik Weise, will help us move forward quickly with the work that must be completed before the season opens.”

As the Friends of Sima group works on a transition with the GNSS and the city, which has leased the land to the GNSS, details on how purchased passes will be validated with a picture badge "will be announced as soon as possible.

"Keep an eye on www.mountsima.com for announcements, and if you want to purchase a pass, please use the website or visit Sportslife, Angelina's Toy Boutique or Sandors,” Henderson said.

It's thanks to sponsor MeadiaSolutions that iPads have been installed in the three businesses to purchase passes, she added.

Sport Yukon is also assisting by accepting cash, cheques or credit cards as payment.

Meanwhile, Taylor is continuing to encourage more sponsors to come on board.

At this afternoon's announcement, he noted that for the first part of the sponsorship campaign, the group focused on contacting businesses members it already had a relationship with. That means there's still a number of businesses to be contacted.

"We have a really positive show of support so far, and we encourage businesses and companies to consider supporting the hill. The community response has been tremendous, and we look forward to others joining us as partners.”

The lunch-hour announcement wrapped up with the drawings of prizes coming from sponsors for those who have paid up on their pledges.