Dick Barron said it was the first time "unsafe weather conditions" prompted Seven Springs to temporarily close its slopes and trails.

It happened at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, lasted less than five hours and disappointed some guests. But it was the right call considering the conditions -- a mix of rain, freezing rain and fog. Thick fog.

"When it ceases to be fun out there, it's time to pull the plug," said Barron, the director of ski and snowboard operations.

He called Chief Executive Officer Eric Mauck and a conference call was quickly set up with the top managers. The first item on their agenda was what could be done for the skiers and snowboarders returning to the lodge.

When the soggy snowsliders came in from the cold and wet, they and other guests were invited to enjoy some free indoor activities -- bowling, miniature golf and roller skating. And, if they wanted to go back outside, snowtubing also was free.

"The ski and snowboard conditions were the worst I've ever seen, especially for beginners and low intermediates," said Barron, who has been with the resort in various capacities since 1969. "We didn't want them to injure themselves or anyone else. Some guests were disappointed, but said they understood."

A midafternoon snowstorm blew away the rain and fog and delivered around an inch of snow that was enthusiastically greeted by guests and employees.

Barron said the resort re-opened at 4:45 p.m. for limited skiing and snowboarding at reduced prices -- $15 for adults and $10 for children 11 and younger. Five beginner and intermediate slopes and trails on the front side -- Beginner Area, Beginner Bowl, Cortina, Fawn Lane and Wager -- were served by the Cortina quad and the Magic Carpet lift.

"We were open until 10 p.m. and our guests said they appreciated it," Barron said.

Conditions improved overnight, thanks to two inches of natural snow and temperatures cold enough -- in the mid-teens -- to make snow.

When Barron delivered his "awesome winter fun report" at 6:20 a.m. Thursday, he praised the "terrific team of snowmakers, groomers and lift maintenance employees for the outstanding job they did to turn this mountain around."

Guests had their choice that morning of 37 slopes and trails, three terrain parks, seven chairlifts and two surface lifts. And, for the first time this season, the Superpipe, a half-pipe that is 450 feet long and 50 feet wide with walls 18 feet high, was opened for business. It's the main feature in The Spot, a four-acre terrain park next to the Alpine slope.

"We will have the best conditions of the season this weekend," Barron said yesterday. "Our base depth ranges from 28 to 46 inches. We've had 93 inches of natural snow so far this season and more is on the way. The forecast calls for 1 to 3 inches on Monday, from 5 to 10 inches on Tuesday and another 1 to 3 inches on Wednesday.

"Winter has settled back in."

A negligence lawsuit has been filed by the parents of Jonathan Michael Murt, 22, who lived in Rostraver. He and his girlfriend, Sasha Zuro, 26, of Washington Township, Fayette County, died in a condominium fire Jan. 27, 2008, at Seven Springs.

The suit, filed in Common Pleas Court in Allegheny County by Thomas and Mary Lou Murt, identified the defendants as:

Condo owner Burt Raitano; the Sunridge Condominium Association; Barry Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald Chimney Cleaning; Majestic, a division of Majco Building Specialities, the manufacturer and distributor of the "defective" fireplace, and Anthony Valkanas, described as an acquaintance of their son. The resort isn't named as a defendant.

Valkanas told state police he thought Murt and Zuro were on their way out of the condo when he left to alert adjoining condo occupants about the fire.

"This was a preventable tragedy," said the Murt's attorney, Jim Freeman of Wilkes & McHugh, a law firm based in Tampa, Fla.