Many skiers and snowboarders in Whitehorse are likely crossing their fingers in the hopes that Mount Sima will reopen Thursday.

The ski hill has been closed since Dec. 22, when it was discovered seals and bearings in the chairlift drive had failed and the lift was overheating.

A crew had to be brought in from Outside, with parts ordered from the United States. Although officials had originally planned to have the hill open this past weekend, parts had to be reordered. It took the crew some time to drive to the territory from Fernie, B.C., hill manager Richard Roy said this morning.

It's expected there will be a test run of the chairlift tomorrow with the hill set to reopen Thursday, provided there aren't any problems.

'We are a little concerned about the weather,' Dan Boyd, a director with the Great Northern Ski Society, which operates Mount Sima, said this morning.

Environment Canada's forecast shows Thursday could have a low of -33 C with a high of -22 C.

Boyd noted the hill closes when the temperature is at -25 C or colder, with consideration given to the wind chill as well.

Colder weather is a blessing, though, when it comes to making snow, he said.

The board has yet to determine whether there will be anything offered to season pass holders for the now more-than two-week-long closure. All of the efforts at Mount Sima have gone into getting the lift fixed, he said.

As Boyd pointed out, though, there have been many previous years when the hill has had to close through part of the Christmas period due to weather conditions.

'We believe we have lots of skiing to do,' he said.

If snow conditions remain as they are, Boyd added, they will be excellent when the hill reopens.

Sima has a goal of being open 65 days through the season.

The hill operates Thursdays through Sundays each week through the winter. It's set to remain open during the Canada Winter Games from Feb. 23 to March 10, when it hosts skiing and snowboarding events for the national competition.

Roy noted the timing for the lift failure is fortunate in that it didn't happen during the Games.

The lift was built in 1975, with Sima buying it from the Alyeska resort in Alaska in the early 1990s.

Although much of the lift had been overhauled in the 1980s, the seals and bolts weren't part of that work, Boyd said in a previous interview with the Star.

The ski society has estimated the work on the lift could cost between $20,000 and $30,000.

The society is estimating the closure will cost Sima between $30,000 to $40,000 in lost revenue.