Lack of snow dooms ski, snowboard contests at Squaw Valley

Squaw Valley Ski Resort has canceled plans to host two upcoming weekends of national and international competitions due to a lack of snow, the resort announced.

The Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows resorts were to host the FIS ski cross and snowboard cross World Cup event March 4-8. While the recent storm helped, resort officials said they’ve decided to focus their snow-making capabilities and other finite resources on the overall guest experience, rather than on the race events.

Also canceled is the Hole Shot NorAm and U.S. Revolution Tour ski cross and snowboard cross scheduled for March 9-13.

“A preeminent factor in this decision was our need to create and provide for the best possible conditions for our guests across the mountain while still building a viable venue for this event,” said Andy Wirth, president and CEO of Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows.

Competition officials are expected to find new hosts for the events.

On Jan. 30, the last official measurement, the statewide snowpack was 25 percent of normal.

This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Lack of snow dooms ski, snowboard contests at Squaw Valley."