It finally is starting to really look like winter in the Lake Tahoe region. The snow over the past three days has already dumped more than 4 feet of new snow in some locations and more is on the way today.
It has snowed at least 40 inches in the last 24 hours at Diamond Peak ski resort and it continues to dump today. The North Tahoe resort in InclineVillage plans on opening its Lakeview lift today.
“We’re thrilled to see this storm come in; Lake Tahoe has needed it,” said Kayla Anderson, the Marketing Manager at Diamond Peak. “Right now we are experiencing the best conditions of the season. I strongly urge skiers and riders to get toDiamondPeak and take advantage of this powder while it lasts.”
The snow has been quite extreme at several resorts. Kirkwood Mountain off Highway 88 is reporting 63 inches from the storm, including 22 inches dumping on its summit Saturday.
At Boreal Mountain off Interstate 80, the resort has gotten 56 inches from the storm. Boreal, a great spot for snowboarders, has beefed up its jib park, adding 25 new jibs and jumps.
Alpine Meadows ski resort had a huge day of snow, reporting 18-33 inches Saturday and a storm total reaching 51 inches.
The storm isn’t good news in some respect, thanks to the wind and high temperatures that has resulted in rain.
Wind issues had Heavenly Mountain delaying its opening today until 10 a.m. Located on Lake Tahoe’s south shore, Heavenly received 16 inches of new snow on Saturday and is reporting snow depths of 37 inches at the base and 98 at its summit.
Due to very high winds, Mt. Rose ski resort announced it would be closed Sunday (Feb. 9).
The higher temperatures in the Lake Tahoe region have been an issue. The temps were in the high 20s overnight and hiking to the low 40s during the day, which has resulted in rain at lower elevations.
Although it’s been raining at lower elevations, there’s plenty of snow on the summit of most ski resorts. For example, Northstar California reported only 2 inches at its base level Saturday, but 32 inches of snow at its highest elevations.
It was the same story at Squaw Valley, where it mostly rained in the village area, but at its summit was reporting 38 inches of snow Saturday.
The storm has been a blessing and a bit of a curse for Donner Ski Ranch, which resides at Donner Summit. The resort had been close for more than a month, but opened Saturday after a large snowfall. However, it was raining and Donner Ski Ranch closed today, but expects to reopen this week.
