After the worst winter on record last year, Tahoe ski areas finally have something to celebrate. A series of storms in the last two weeks have resulted in a slew of early-season openings, prompting a huge sigh of relief for ski area managers that have struggled to survive California's epic drought. The current November snow conditions in Tahoe are the best they've been in years, which is why ski areas like Alpine Meadows are opening one month earlier than originally scheduled.
More stories on El Niño:
Was El Niño the Cause of California's Latest Round of Snow?
Watch the Enormous El Niño Growing in the Pacific Right Now
There's a 90 Percent Chance We're Getting a Strong El Niño
Old Farmer's Almanac v. El Niño: Who Will Win?
Last week's storm brought plenty of liquid gold to the high country. Another storm hit Tahoe yesterday, with Kirkwood reporting 18 inches at the top of the mountain. More snow is expected the next two weeks with at least two potential storms on tap. You can check out the forecast here.
All this snow means early openings. For Northstar and Heavenly, this is the earliest the resorts have opened since 2012, and the first time opening six days ahead of schedule since at least 2009
Here's a list of open resorts:
Boreal: Open
Mt. Rose: Open
Alpine Meadows: Thursday, November 12
Squaw Valley: Saturday, November 14
Northstar: Saturday, November 14
Heavenly: Saturday, November 14
Kirkwood received about 2 feet of snow from the latest round of precipitation, but the ski area is still trying to decide if they will open before their scheduled date of November 21. Also keep an eye on Sierra-at-Tahoe; they will open as soon as conditions allow.
There's no doubt that Tahoe is in a great early-season snow pattern. But is this all because of El Niño? Find out over here.
Loading comments...