Sierra Bustling After First Snowfall

When darkness gave way to sunshine Monday morning, long-barren slopes wore a glistening white blanket up to four feet thick in places, courtesy of a blizzard that worked its magic for four long, cold days through the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Since, the mad scramble that follows every first storm has been underway, as ski-area operators began preparing for the onslaught of skiers and snowboarders.

At Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, which opened on a limited basis as the snow began to fall last Thursday, two to four feet of fresh powder has allowed for more lift service this week.

Broadway Express, Stump Alley Express, Face Lift Express, Thunderbound Express and Discovery Chair all were operating Tuesday, and today the Panorama gondola will start.

“I just got off the phone with [ski] patrol and they told me no trails will be roped off or closed, so everything at the top is fair game,” Mammoth spokeswoman Kellie Hines said, cautioning that there might be bare spots in places.

In the Lake Tahoe area, where only Boreal has opened and with limited terrain, crews have been assessing conditions and determining when to start the lifts.

The shakedown: Alpine Meadows will open Thursday; Kirkwood and Squaw Valley USA will open Saturday; Heavenly will open Nov. 22; Northstar-at-Tahoe will open Nov. 23, and Sierra-at-Tahoe will open Nov. 29.

“We received 36 to 48 inches on the upper mountain and will open eight lifts,” said Katja Dahl, spokeswoman for Squaw Valley. “It’s unusual for one storm to give us enough snow to open [so much of] the mountain but this was the perfect mix of wet snow and the colder, dry snow on top of that to create a perfect base.”

All the Tahoe-area resorts will be opening on a limited basis and offering reduced lift-ticket prices. But if another expected storm materializes this weekend, it should allow for expanded operations well in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Meanwhile, in Southern California, a heat wave has left the long-barren slopes looking more barren than ever.