LEBANON — The Storrs Hill Ski Area drew big crowds for its first season of free skiing over the weekend. The hill’s opening had been delayed from the originally scheduled Dec. 23 due to unseasonable weather.

On Friday night, 95 ski passes were given out, and Saturday saw more than 150. At times, the queue for the rope tow stretched across the slope with more than 30 people in line at once.

“There’s a lot more people. Last year on a Friday night, we’d be lucky if we had 10 people,” said Jennifer Langley, treasurer for the Storrs’ board of directors who volunteers much of her time at Storrs.

The primarily volunteer-run ski area is going into its 102nd year of operation under the nonprofit Lebanon Outing Club and offers ski and snowboard lessons, various race teams, three ski jumps, a full kitchen, a heated lodge and a liquor license.

The hill is open to the public on Fridays 5 to 9 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The influx of visitors comes largely from the increased advertising and publicity for the hill’s free admission, which is made possible through funding from the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation. Last season, it cost $10 to $15 for an adult pass.

While passes for public skiing are free this year, there still are some costs for visitors, who must bring their own gear, as Storrs does not offer rentals. There also are fees for lessons.

Still, the word has spread far — so much that Langley recently “got a message from somebody at Times Square offering us a side of the advertising, which we did not take up,” she said.

Skiers and snowboarders came in from as far away as Maine and Massachusetts over the weekend.

Jen Sturges, 20, came from Rhode Island after hearing about the free slope on TikTok. Sturges came with a friend, whom she was teaching to snowboard.

“It’s a nice hill to learn on,” Sturges said, “and it’s actually a lot bigger than I thought.”

Sultan Haidan and Charlie Ashley, both 20, drove two hours from Portland, Maine for the free skiing.

“It’s an expensive thing, so it’s cool that they’re giving this opportunity,” said Ashley, who is learning to ski.

Haidan, a more experienced skier, said he sees the hill as a good starting point for a new year: “This is my first ski this season, so it’s a great way to launch back in,” he said.

And despite the distance, they expect to come back this season.

There were also many who live nearby on the hill over the weekend.

Jake Holt, 27, of White River Junction, went to Storrs a few times last year, and “probably will go a lot more now that it’s free.”

Holt said that he enjoys how “convenient” it is, as he lives so close. He also values the community-building aspect: “I like the feeling of being at a local hill versus Disney World,” Holt said, referring to a larger ski area such as Killington or Stowe.

Alexis and Michael Steele, of Windsor, seized the opportunity to introduce their two kids, 4 and 6, to skiing.

“The cost is a limiting factor when it comes to bringing children,” Alexis said of other ski areas.

“Especially if you think they’re going to go for 20 minutes and give up,” Michael added.

Alexis also appreciated the thoughtfulness of the volunteers: “It’s a really well-run organization. They really care about the people who come,” she said.

With this increased awareness, the hills volunteers have been “a little concerned because we’re not a giant mountain. We’re a small hill and we don’t want people to be disappointed when they come, we want them to have a good time,” Langley said.

There are some doubts about the 20-acre hill’s capacity: “I would just be worried that we get overwhelmed,” Kit Creeger, the head of the Alpine Youth Program and a member of Lebanon Outing Club’s board of directors, said. “But it doesn’t really look like that’s going to have to happen. This is a good level (of visitors), where we are now.”

Having this many visitors isn’t new for Storrs, said Creeger, who began going to Storrs to give his children ski lessons, and he eventually began volunteering for the organization.

“You’d see this kind of presence here, typically in the last few years, on a nice Sunday afternoon — but not so much on a cold Friday night like this,” Creeger said.

The operation aims to “get kids outside in the fresh air doing fun, outdoor, athletic stuff for low money,” Creeger said. “And the epitome of that is the free skiing that we’re offering this year by virtue of the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation,” he added.

Creeger and other volunteers at Storrs Hill hope that the awareness and attendance will help bolster donations and grants so that free skiing can continue for the community.

“I hope that the publicity helps us be able to develop a fundraising effort to continue the free skiing beyond just this year,” Creeger said.

Lukas Dunford can be reached at lukasdunf@gmail.com.

CORRECTION: On Friday, Jan. 10, Storrs Hill ski area in Lebanon gav  e out 95 ski passes. A previous version of this story included an incorrect number of passes for that day.