Tahoe snow conditions: A waiting game, but two ski areas open

Skiing at Lake Tahoe
CC BY: HansNYC

By Inga Aksamit, Inga’s Adventures

After early storms stoked anticipation for an early ski season, recent warm temperatures and clear, blue, sunny skies have left the Sierra high and dry. The good news is that two frontrunners, Boreal and Mt. Rose, are open in the Lake Tahoe area on manmade snow to give skiers and boarders a chance to dust off the summer cobwebs and get in the groove.

Boreal had opened briefly following earlier storms, reopened on Friday, October 30, 2009 and plans to stay open through the season. In addition Mt. Rose opened on Friday for 3 days.

With a look of autumn in the mountains, Boreal stands out from Highway 80 with a wide strip of snow gleaming like a white, angled landing strip beckoning skiers and boarders to come take a run. Early season lift tickets are $30. Mini-tubing is also available for kids 42” and under for only $15.

Mt. Rose has the Flying Jenny surface lift open for the Halloween weekend only. According to Susan, a representative of Mt. Rose, they will close during the week and evaluate conditions to determine whether they will open next weekend. She said lots of kids are having a good time, and even a few adults are out on the slope, enjoying the warm California sunshine. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for kids 6-10, and kids under 5 can ski for free.

The top of Alpine Meadows is a deep russet color punctuated by green pines and firs, with the lightest smattering of snow visible in the north facing gullies. We still have a long way to go before we have full coverage.

In the meantime, get stoked about winter by seeing Warren Miller’s Dynasty, Teton Gravity Research’s Re: Session and attend the San Francisco or Silicon Valley Ski and Snowboard Festival—the snow play area at the festivals may be the closest you get to snow for awhile. 

Middle photo: Alpine Meadows, by Inga Aksamit
Bottom photo: Squaw Valley, by Inga Aksamit