SLINGER -- A ski resort rich in history is making a comeback in Slinger.

Little Switzerland will reopen for the 2012/2013 ski season. The resort closed in 2007.

Brothers Mike, Dave, and Rick Schmitz bought the hill and are in the process of getting it up to code. The lodge, which is owned by Wayne Erickson, is also being completely gutted, except for the fireplace.

The brothers say they have a lot of work ahead of them, like fixing the chair lifts and installing a new snow making machine, but they are ready for the challenge.

All three of them learned to ski at Little Switzerland so it means that much more to them to open it back up.

"Little Switzerland is a very historic resort and a lot of people have a lot of nostalgia tied to it," said Rick Schmitz. "This place is going to be awesome. We are so excited to bring it back."

Rick Schmitz, who owns a few other ski resorts, says even though there are similar ski hills in the area, Little Switzerland will be able to thrive.

"People don't just ski at one place. They want variety. They want a different area. So the idea is the more resorts, the more people we can bring into the sport of skiing and the better everyone does."

Last year, Rick Schmitz says more people skied nationwide last year than the year before.

That makes his brother, Dave, feel better about leaving his job to open the ski resort.

"We saw the opportunity for a good business idea and we have a passion for skiing and we want to see it return to it's glory days," said Dave Schmitz.

Speaking of glory days, CBS 58 witnessed some unplanned reminiscing of it during our taping of the story.

The original owner's daughter, Jane Herte, showed up and met the brother's parents for the first time while CBS 58 was there. She couldn't be more excited to see her family's jewel getting a new start.

"I love it," said Jane. "I'm so happy!"

There's even more history behind Little Switzerland than most people know. Herte says it opened on December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed.