Despite work left to be done after Caldor Fire, Sierra-At-Tahoe to open later this year
SIERRA-AT-TAHOE - Popular mountain resort Sierra-At-Tahoe was destroyed by the Caldor fire, and its future was uncertain, until now.
The resort tells us they officially plan on opening this coming season but there's a lot of work to be done to get there. One year ago the Caldor Fire tore through Tahoe, burning down a popular ski resort loved by locals.
"We saw the mountain turn from this ashy grey into this bright orange we had to accept the fire was coming into the mountain," says Sierra-At-Tahoe spokesperson Shelby Dunlap.
Snow covering Sierra-At-Tahoe was replaced by charred chairlifts, ash-covered trails, and burned trees.
"It's extremely hard. Not just [for] the employees but the 10, 15, 20-year season pass holders who have grown up on this mountain," said Dunlap. But after one year of waiting, loyal visitors can now look forward to fresh powder once again.
"We're really excited to welcome our guests back," says Dunlap.
Sierra-At-Tahoe is guaranteeing an opening day but what's it going to take to get there? We're getting answers.
"We got to work the day we were allowed back on the mountain…quite literally rising from the ashes," said Dunlap. She says 1,600 acres were burned, including communication lines chairlifts, and snowcats.
"Sierra sustained an incredible amount of damage," she said.
The resort is relying on federal funding and community donations to bring in the millions of dollars required to remove more than 14,000 trees and fix the damage caused by the Caldor Fire.
"We've really all come together to help bring sierra back to her new," she said.
While helicopter crews carry material to the top of the mountain and trucks deliver equipment to fix the resort below, staff at Sierra-at-Tahoe is hopeful for the winter season ahead.
"We know the landscape is going to be different, but when we go to the top of the mountain today and we look down, what we see is opportunity," said Dunlap.