Lake Tahoe ski resorts ready to open. See $9 million snowmaking investment at work
Lake Tahoe area high temperatures will range from 63 degrees to 77 degrees on Wednesday, but a handful of ski and snowboard resorts are ready to open, with Squaw Valley kicking off the 2019-2020 season in just two days.
Mt. Rose is already open on the weekends. Northstar and Heavenly rev up the lifts on November 22. Sugar Bowl is right behind them on November 29, and Kirkwood starts things off November 27. Boreal and Sierra-at-Tahoe have not listed their opening dates.
Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has been cranking up its snowmaking operations and is set to go November 15. The pair of resorts have invested $9 million into snow-making operations over the past nine years.
“The system encompasses over 300 snowmaking guns, many of which are now fully automated: Automatic air and temperature sensors allow snowmakers to determine the optimal time to make the best snow and remotely control the quality and quantity of snow, from powder to heavy base-setting snow,” Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows said in a news release.
Only once in the past 10 years has the resort opened earlier than November 15, and on only three occasions in the past 20 years, according to Leisl Hepburn, Squaw Valley public relations director.
This story was originally published November 13, 2019 at 8:07 AM.
