ski resorts

As residents in the Lake Tahoe area shovel out of their homes, ski resorts are boasting impressive totals of powder underneath clearing skies.

The Lake Tahoe ski resorts are reporting up to five feet of new snow in the last seven days. If the month of March is a normal month with heavy snow, most resorts should see record breaking snow fall by the end of the season.

The National Weather Service in Reno forecast, there is a 20-40 percent chance of snow in South Lake Tahoe through Saturday. A small system passes on Friday, with a stronger one coming Sunday and Monday.

Ski resorts benefited from the snow left behind during the most recent storm which left a couple of inches of slushy snow at lake level, but 7" to a foot of snow at local ski areas.

The next wave of the storm will hit Lake Tahoe Monday night when the snowfall is replaced with heavy rainfall. The warmer storm will bring a higher risk of flooding to the region, especially to the mountains and foothill locations. Strong winds will also increase the potential for downed trees and power lines.

Forecast from the National Weather Service through Thursday:

People around Lake Tahoe are digging out from a blizzard that left roads closed, schools closed, businesses closed and even ski resorts closed.

As residents move over four feet of snow from their driveways, ski resorts are moving over 12 feet of snow from around their lifts so they can operate during the busy holiday ski weekend ahead.

South Tahoe Now's readers submitted their storm photos and they are included in this story. Thank you for sharing!

With Sunday's warm storm expected to drop up to a foot of rain on Lake Tahoe, area ski resorts are closed. High winds are also forecast for upper elevations.

"Guest and employee safety is our primary concern," said a message on Sierra-at-Tahoe's twitter page. "Thanks in advance for your understanding."

Heavenly Mountain Resort, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley / Alpine Meadows, Northstar, Sugar Bowl, Mt. Rose and Tahoe Donner have also joined Sierra and other resorts in closing mountain operations for the day.

Good morning Lake Tahoe skiers and riders! If you are visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe.

Today is Friday, December 2.

SHAPING UP TO BE A GOOD FRIDAY FOR EARLY SEASON TURNS. COLD TEMPS ARE ALLOWING RESORTS TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SNOW AND OPEN MORE LIFTS AND RUNS… WINDS COULD BE AN ISSUE TODAY SO ALL UPPER MOUNTAIN LIFTS WILL OPERATE WIND & WEATHER PERMITTING. AT THIS TIME UPPER MOUNTAIN LIFTS AT SQUAW ARE ON HOLD… MAMMOTH RECEIVES 4” OF NEW… SKI & RIDE WITH CARE!

Good morning Lake Tahoe skiers and riders! If you are visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe.

SHAPING UP TO BE A GREAT HUMP DAY FOR EARLY SEASON TURNS. COLD TEMPS ARE ALLOWING RESORTS TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SNOW AND OPEN MORE LIFTS AND RUNS. SQUAW OPENS UPPER MOUNTAIN FOR TOP TO BOTTOM SKIING, MT ROSE IS OPEN TOP TO BOTTOM, SUGAR BOWL OFFERS TOP TO BOTTOM, HEAVENLY HAS UPPER NV DIPPER EXPRESS TURNING… SKI & RIDE WITH CARE!

South Tahoe Now and Curtis Fong of BikeandSkiLakeTahoe.com have teamed up together this winter to provide daily ski and weather reports to help you plan your day on the slopes.

GOOD MORNING LAKE TAHOE SKIERS & RIDERS… IF YOU ARE VISITING, WELCOME TO LAKE TAHOE!

SHAPING UP TO BE A GREAT DAY FOR EARLY SEASON TURNS. 1-2” FRESH SNOW OVERNIGHT WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW THIS MORNING… WINDS MAY IMPACT OPERATION OF UPPER MOUNTAIN LIFTS. SKI & RIDE WITH CARE!

Expect a windy and snowy weekend in South Lake Tahoe! Ski resorts on the South Shore had to postpone opening days, so maybe Mother Nature will be helping them out!

There is a wind advisory in place for South Lake Tahoe in advance of the winter storm headed our way. Expect winds 15-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph overnight Friday, increasing Saturday to 20-30 mph and gusts to 55 mph. Ridgetop winds could gust up to 110 mph. Waves on the lake are expected to be 2-5' with the highest on the north and east shore.

The winds subside slightly as a winter storm moves in.

You hear of the "great recession" causing issues in many areas from jobs and income to housing, but another victim is quality child care in South Lake Tahoe.

Prior to 2009 there were over 45 licensed day care providers on the South Shore, a majority of them licensed for 12 children and open evenings and weekends. Now, there are just 20, 12 of which are licensed for 12, the other eight are small licenses, for six children or less.

The latest storms to hit the Sierra and Lake Tahoe kept wter content in the snowpack close to average, with some areas of California going above average in the precipitation they've received.

Officials from the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be making their last monthly snowpack measurement near Sierra-at-Tahoe next week, but electronic readings taken March 22, 2016 show the snowpack is at 92 percent of average.

Most of the ski resorts around the lake, while still below average snowpack, are experiencing the best measured snow in a few years.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Sunday, March 13, 2016 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

Wind and weather will be an issue at ski resorts today.

Winter Storm Warning until 11 a.m. Monday
Flood Watch in place until 6:00 p.m. Sunday

Ski resorts are celebrating 10" to 20" of new snow overnight, with more in the forecast for Sunday evening in South Lake Tahoe.

The National Weather Service said the next wave Sunday will bring with it strong winds and, at times, a heavy rate of snow fall of one to two inches per hour. Lake level is expected to see an additional 3" to 7". Elevations over 7,000 ft were forecast to get two to four feet out of these storms.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Saturday, March 5, 2016 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

Flash Flood Warning 3/5/16 4:00 p.m. until 3/6/16 6:00 a.m.
Winter Storm Watch 3/5/16 7:00 p.m. until 3/7/16 10:00 a.m.
Wind Advisory 3/5/16 1:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.

Wind may be a factor today at some area ski resorts.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Friday, January 29, 2016 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

Lake Wind Advisory 1/29/16 from 4:00 a.m. to 1/30/16 at 4:00 a.m.
Winter Storm Watch 1/29/16 from 4:00 a.m. to 1/30/16 at 10:00 a.m.
Flash Flood Watch 1/26/16 from 10:00 a.m. to 1/30/16 at 10:00 a.m.

The New Year is getting off to a phenomenal start with snow falling at Lake Tahoe. It seems long ago since we’ve had snow around the lake, but as California and Nevada continue to grapple with four years of drought and water shortages, the snow couldn’t be falling at a better time.

Search and Rescue volunteers from El Dorado County recently responded to a report of an out-of-bounds snowboarder from Heavenly who ended up near the Montgomery Estates neighborhood. Twelve volunteers on skis, snowmobiles and snowshoes made their way about four miles into the wilderness before locating 41 year-old Pavel Kletsov.

On Friday, December 11, Kletsov left the boundaries of Heavenly Valley Ski Resort and ended up in the Cold Creek Drainage, just above Montgomery Estates. Due to the fresh new snow and terrain he got stuck and could not get out on his own.

The following is the ski, snowboard and weather report for Friday, December 18, 2015 for South Lake Tahoe brought to you by Lake Tahoe SkiBum.

Ski resorts, local businesses, visitors and residents welcomed several inches of snow during Tuesday's storm, lending hope that the winter will be a good one for both outdoor sports and the South Lake Tahoe economy.

Heavenly Mountain Resort is reports 8" of new snow and they will have almost half of their runs open Wednesday. Sierra-at-Tahoe received 9" at the base, 10" at the summit and will have five lifts and 13 trails open. Over at Kirkwood, they received 16" of new snow and have four of their 15 lifts open.

The long awaited first storm of the winter has hit the Sierra Nevada, much to the excitement of ski resorts, skiers and those wanting an end to the drought.

While this weather front isn't supposed to leave much behind at lake level, the upper elevations may see over a foot of snow.

Here is the updated weather forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today - Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 10am. High near 41. West wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Snow blanketed the highest runs at Heavenly Mountain Resort over the weekend, exciting the inner skier in many. Could this be a sign of what El Nino has in store for Lake Tahoe this year?

While experts have differing opinions, the ski resorts are betting on a big snow year as they wrap up their season pass sales.

October 11 is the last day for Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar resort pass sales which range from $449 for the adult Tahoe Value Pass to $789 for their Epic Pass.

The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee (LTFAC) is scheduled to meet from 9 a.m. to noon, June 22, 2015, at the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Forest Supervisor’s office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 96150. LTFAC will address issues related to federal activities at Lake Tahoe.

Items on the agenda include an overview of committee history, review of committee charter, update on status of Lake Tahoe Restoration Act and Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, and discussion of Committee’s future strategy.

The consolidation of ski operations in Lake Tahoe continues with news Monday that plans are underway to install a gondola to connect Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski resorts.

The resorts, both owned by Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, reached an agreement with Troy Caldwell, the owner of the property between the base of the resorts, to build a gondola that will run about two miles.

Due to popular demand, community job fairs will be held on both the North and South Shores of Lake Tahoe this spring. Last year's Tahoe Job Fair was held at Squaw Valley and over 1,100 perspective employees attended.

In a joint effort between Harrahs and Harveys, the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaboration, Professional Ski Instructor's Association and the American Assocition of Snowboarder Instructors, the Tahoe Regional Community fair will be held on the South Shore March 31 and on the North Shore on April 1.

A real estate investment trust that’s considering getting out of the snow business could sell more than dozen ski resorts from Maine to California that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

CNL Lifestyle Properties owns 16 resorts including Northstar-at-Tahoe and Sierra-at-Tahoe in California, Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine, Bretton Woods, Loon Mountain and Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire, Okemo Mountain in Vermont, Crested Butte in Colorado and Brighton in Utah.