Two Major Tahoe Ski Resorts Open Thanks To Natural And Man-Made Snow
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (KCBS)— Two major Tahoe ski resorts opened Friday thanks to both natural and man-made snow, with a third resort expected to open before Thanksgiving.
Derek Shore with CBS 13 in Sacramento is at Northstar Ski Resort in Placer County where he said a few hundred people made the trek to ski the snow-covered hills even if it was man made. Northstar joined Heavenly Mountain Resort in opening. Boreal Mountain Resort and Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe (closer to Reno) were already open.
Ski enthusiasts can expect three open chairlifts and four trails at Northstar to be open. Shore said they expect to have the upper mountain open in about three days.
Ski venues have had a difficult time packing the slopes the past few seasons with the lighter than normal snow totals. Most resorts are relying on their inches of man-made snow with hopes Mother Nature picks up on cue for the remainder of the season.
This is about the normal time for the ski resorts to open, according to business owners, but they would have expected about half a foot of regular snow to be sitting on the hills. With the drought, that has not been the case and they expect a slow start to the season. Higher snow totals are expected by December.