VAIL — There have already been T-shirt and denim sightings on the mountain, as skiers and snowboarders are shedding layers under sunny skies with temperatures in the 40s.

Higher temperatures that appeared last week and have continued to stick around are making for some nice spring skiing days, although some skiers report crunchy snow in the mornings and softer snow in the afternoons.

The forecast calls for chances of rain and snow through Tuesday, with highs in the upper 40s and overnight lows into the 20s.

Spring officially begins next Sunday, but Vail is full of people on their spring vacations with mixed feelings about the weather.

Jared Evans, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., and was wearing a long-sleeved plaid T-shirt and no jacket Saturday at Vail, said that while the back side of the mountain has been pretty crunchy, he has no complaints about the front-side groomers.

That's why Heidi Miller, of Chicago, has been sticking to the front side, where she said the snow is always consistent.

Miller, Evans, Nate Burkhardt, Eric Shannon and Svein Groem are in Vail this year for their annual March ski trip. The group traveled to Vail from all over the country with about 20 other friends, all of whom know each other from once living in Chicago.

On a gondola ride up Vail Mountain around 11:30 a.m., the crew had just rented a locker so they could get rid of some layers of clothing.

“I'm down two layers,” Miller said.

Shannon said he was thinking about getting rid of his ski pants and just skiing in shorts the rest of the day because it was so warm.

The group had just skied down Game Creek Bowl around 11 a.m. and said the temperature on the sign by the chairlift said 51 degrees.

The patios in the villages were hopping around lunchtime, as visitors and local residents soaked up the warm sunshine, but local businesses said this is just the beginning of the typically busy spring season.

Jim Cooper, a manager at the Double Diamond Ski Shop in Lionshead, said the shop hasn't seen a major influx of business just yet, but it's been consistent. He's looking forward to next week, when he said reservations at the hotels are up.

“I've also heard there's more ski-school reservations next weekend,” Cooper said.

As for the warm weather, he's not concerned that it will affect the conditions on the mountain since Vail has had such a good snow season this year.

“There's plenty of snow to get through the season,” he said.

Over in Vail Village, Buzz Schleper, owner of Buzz's Boards, said there were a lot of people on the mountain Saturday enjoying the springlike weather. Two of his friends from Minnesota he skied with Saturday couldn't get over how beautiful the weather was, he said.

The high temperatures are definitely a positive for the destination skier, he said.

“It's just more comfortable,” Schleper said. “My friends were having the time of their lives.”

Community Editor Lauren Glendenning can be reached at 970-748-2983 or lglendenning@vaildaily.com.