snowfall

In anticipation of a November 22, 2013 opening day, Heavenly Mountain Resort has fired up the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system and has begun making snow at the top of the Gondola and on California Trail. The resort received its first significant snowfall of the season last night with 6-8 inches of snow overnight on the mountain.

Focused on enriching the guests’ overall experience, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort is excited to offer new additions for the 2013-14 season that will offer guests an enhanced on-mountain and overall experience. A new 9,000 square foot structure and plaza will improve the base area experience, enhance the overall après atmosphere, and give guests a place to gather and celebrate winter in the mountains. The Burton Star Wars™ Experience continues to grow with the Burton Star Wars™ Echo Base, a learning experience for kids ages 7-12.

With less than 100 days until the beginning of the 2013-2014 Lake Tahoe ski and ride season, now is the time to purchase the best-valued season pass to Tahoe’s three premier mountain destinations, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Northstar.

The Tahoe Local and Tahoe Value Passes offer access to more than 263 trails, 14 terrain parks and 10,270 acres all on one pass; but the current season pass prices are only guaranteed through September 2, 2013.

Riding 129 miles and climbing 15,000-plus feet all in one day demands a rigorous training schedule and Kirkwood’s annual “Near Death Experience” bike camp can give riders the inside edge they need to complete such a challenging task.

Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort will give skiers and riders one last chance to shred Sierra Resort on April 15 with its Annual Customer Appreciation Day. Customer Appreciation Day is all about celebrating the season with fun stories of a season gone by and smiles.

Skiers and riders of all ages can purchase a lift ticket for only $25 on April 15. All of the proceeds raised from the day’s lift ticket sales will be donated to sponsor youth recreation and education including youth baseball, soccer, swimming, and other youth activities.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - One of the driest spots on Earth - the Sahara desert - is increasingly responsible for snow and rain half a world away in the western U.S., a new study released Thursday found.It...

With snow on the way in time for the weekend, South Shore Lake Tahoe has a number of activities at ski resorts, lodges and casinos lined up now through spring. Besides skiing and snow boarding at Sierra Resort, Heavenly and Kirkwood there's concerts, contests and festivals planned in the weeks ahead.

Alpenglow Sports has teamed up with Tahoe Cross Country to present the first-ever Lake Tahoe Nordic Festival Friday, February 8 through Sunday, February 10. All events are free, open to the public and take place at Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area in Tahoe City, California. A full schedule of events is available at www.tahoenordicfestival.com.

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. - Heavy snowfall and howling winds didn't slow Maddie Bowman's new 900 that landed her in first at the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix.Despite treacherous conditions, the ...

The Rahlves’ Banzai Tour hosted this winter at several Lake Tahoe resorts has a new sponsor. Bank of the West has signed on as the presenting sponsor of the downhill ski and snowboard event created by Daron Rahlves, considered among the most decorated American downhill and Super G skier in U.S. history. The tour spans four weekends from Feb. 2 – March 10 at four of Lake Tahoe resorts.

What a difference a year makes. This National Weather Service graphic compares the precipitation in December 2011 with the precipitation for December 2012.
The image on the left represents the total liquid precipitation that fell during December 2011.

The image on the right is the total liquid precipitation that fell over the last 30 days of 2012 ending on December 28th. The images show the stark contrast between the exceptionally dry December of 2011 and the very wet December of 2012.

Ski and travel industry media heavy-hitters will converge on Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe Feb. 27 through March 2 for the fifth Tahoe Snowcial, a winter social media and technology festival that celebrates a common passion for snow and provides attendees with insights from some of the most innovative players in the market today.

A series of strong winter storms will arrive in three waves and when it is over, anywhere from 2 to 5 feet of snow will have dropped above Lake Tahoe, at ski resorts, on highways and throughout much of the Sierra in time for Christmas.

A Winter Storm Warning issued by the National Weather Service is in effect through Monday morning for Lake Tahoe and the Sierra as a strong series of systems moves into the region.

Periods of light to moderate snow will begin Friday and intensive early Saturday morning with moderate to heavy snow Saturday through Sunday night.

On Friday, Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice, pro snowboarder Jamie Anderson will provide a surprise sponsorship for four lucky kids and hold a winter clothing drive in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. In partnership with Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort and the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Anderson will sponsor four young, middle school students from her hometown this winter season with a “surprise sponsorship".

With the support of multiple Lake Tahoe and Sierra early-season snowfalls, including 24 inches in the past two days, and plenty of cold weather days and nights, Sierra Resort will open top to bottom, including West Bowl, on Saturday, Dec. 15.

West Bowl offers long cruisers and intermediate to advanced runs, along with unbeatable views of Pyramid Peak and Desolation Wilderness. Beginners to experts now have the opportunity to enjoy over 2,212 feet of vertical terrain, three terrain parks, and lessons for all ages and ability levels.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Christmas tree permits are sold out but tree cutting permits remain available on BLM lands in the Pinenut Mountains between Carson City and Yerington, the Clan Alpine and Desatoya mountains east of Fallon, and the Excelsior Mountains southeast of Hawthorne.

A lot of moisture is headed our way, but according to the latest from the National Weather Service in Reno, any significant snow is likely to be along the Sierra's higher elevations.
Fire up the prayer and meditation circles. We could use a drop in temperatures.

UPDATE 411PM: Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort will open for the 2012-13 season on Thursday, November 22, 2012, offering Easy Rider Express lift, Rock Garden lift, and three surface lifts, giving guests access to four trails including, Broadway, Easy Street, Echo, and Lower Sleighride. Building on the reputation as one of the nation’s top terrain park resorts, Sierra Resort™ will offer a small to medium jib park on Broadway consisting of multiple features including new boxes and rails, giving eager guests a chance to get their park legs back underneath them.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort opened its 40th anniversary season when the lifts began turning at 9 a.m. Friday, five days earlier than its originally-scheduled opening day. Kirkwood opened with one chairlift and five trails, accessing 40 total acres.
“The last two storms that have rolled through the Sierra have dropped a combined four feet of snow at Kirkwood, allowing us to open early for all our passionate skiers and riders,” said Casey Blann, general manager of Kirkwood. “This will be a great start to the 40th anniversary season at Kirkwood, and the first with Vail Resorts.”

Nationally recognized as one of the best terrain parks in North America by TransWorld SNOWboarding, the Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort Terrain Park staff went beyond building jumps to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Partnering with New York Cares, the largest volunteer organization in New York City, Sierra Resort™ collected new and slightly used jackets to send to people who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Powerful early-season storms combined with the area’s largest snowmaking operations have allowed Vail Resorts’ Lake Tahoe mountains – Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort – to open early with 111 acres. Heavenly and Northstar will open on Wednesday, Nov. 14 with a combined seven lifts and eight trails, totaling 51 acres.

Following a late start to the 2011-12 ski season, early snowfall at the start of this winter has Lake Tahoe area ski resorts ready to open well ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.As of late Frida...

The Lake Tahoe basin can expect seasonably warm weather through midweek with changes ahead that may bring snow down to lake level and the valley floors before the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.
A cold front is forecast to bring gusty winds Thursday with showers spreading into the Sierra, Lake Tahoe Basin and western Nevada. Showers and much colder conditions will then spread over all the area Thursday night through Saturday with snow levels falling to all valley floors.

SOELDEN, Austria (AP) - Ted Ligety took the season-opening men's World Cup giant slalom on Sunday by the biggest winning margin since 1979.In difficult conditions due to fog and snowfall, the Am...