A drone camera pictures snowmaking this month at the Killington Ski Resort. Photo courtesy of KillingtonDefying warmer weather, Killington Ski Resort — the largest in the state and the East — is set to open Thursday as its Vermont counterparts aim for their own late November or early December returns.Killington, newly independent after locals purchased the area from the Utah-based Powdr Corp., recently installed 500 low-energy snowmaking guns to cover trails not only for customers but also for the World Cup scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend.“We owe our snowmaking team a round of applause,” Killington president Mike Solimano said in a statement Wednesday.The resort will restrict itself to pass holders on opening day before welcoming the general public on Friday, it posted on its website. It will only offer “advanced terrain” and “early season conditions,” it continued, but promised its Superstar competition trail would be ready for the international ski racing circuit’s lone U.S. stop for women in two weeks.Hoping to follow suit, the rest of the state’s largest areas are working to open by the end of the month, with smaller venues aiming for December, according to the Vermont Ski Areas Association.“In the ski business, we’re optimists,” association president Molly Mahar said Wednesday. “We’ve obviously had some milder weather, but typically the unofficial start of ski season is Thanksgiving weekend, and I think we’re on track to see that this year.”This fall’s conditions aren’t new. Two years ago, warm weather canceled seven of the World Cup’s first eight races in Europe, causing Killington to fear it might join the list when temperatures spiked to 72 degrees that Nov. 12. But hit with a freeze the next day, the resort powered snow guns around the clock, allowing the International Ski and Snowboard Federation to green-light the event just 10 days before its scheduled start.“Although Mother Nature has not been in our favor,” Killington spokesperson Amy Laramie said this week, “we are confident with our snowmaking capabilities.”Other Vermont ski areas also are turning to technology. In the southern half of the state, Stratton Mountain Resort is investing more than $2 million in the first phase of a multi-year effort to add new snowmaking pipes, hydrants and guns, according to its website. To the north, the smaller Mad River Glen reports an overhaul of its water pump’s motor, bearings and gaskets.“We’re working with what we’ve got,” Mad River Glen spokesperson Ry Young said.Read the story on VTDigger here: Killington set to open amid warmer weather, promises to be ready for World Cup.