Spring Storms Allow Record Breaking Season Lengths for Sierra Resorts
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More powder day's mean more time to #senditforheffy. Photo from Tanner Boudreau.
Mt. Rose Ski resort in Tahoe made history this month by announcing they would stay open until May 8th, making it the longest season they’ve ever had. All thanks to the unbelievable amount of snow the Sierra’s have received this past month, the most recent storm dropping 18-24 inches on various resorts. Last Monday morning chain controls were in effect part of the day on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit. By mid-afternoon, 11 inches of snow had fallen over a 24-hour period at Northstar California Resort north of Lake Tahoe.That brought the snowfall total for the season at Northstar to 441 inches.
Mt. Rose isn't alone in keeping their lifts running longer. Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, Kirkwood and Heavenly ski resorts all announced they too would be extending their lift operations to dates as late as April 17th. Kirkwood reported a season total of 440 inches and Heavenly had 323 inches as of Monday. The season average for Kirkwood prior to the onset of the drought four years ago was 550 inches.
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“Mother Nature came back in a big way this season, and (we) are still enjoying mid-winter conditions on the mountain,” Mike Pierce, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe’s marketing director, told The Sacramento Bee News in a written statement. “The skiing and riding is so great, we’ve decided to extend the season into May.”
This year’s Sierra storms have been uncharacteristically cold for an El Nino year, bringing joy to riders and a solid snowpack for the summer melt. Yet spring can’t be held back forever. According to the National Weather Service, the Lake Tahoe area will receive snow showers through Wednesday, with daytime highs in the upper 30s to low 40s on Tuesday, and low to upper 40s on Wednesday. The storms are expected to give way to sunny skies by Thursday.
