SACRAMENTO, California —
Due to a warm start to November and a lack of snow in the Sierra, ski resorts are having to pump the brakes on opening up for the season.
Two Tahoe area resorts – Heavenly and Northstar – announced Wednesday the conditions were forcing them to delay the opening past their originally expected date.
“We are monitoring the weather minute-by-minute and our expert snowmaking teams are ready to make snow at every possible opportunity so that we can open for the 2023/24 ski and ride season the moment we’re able to," said Ashlee Lambert, senior communications manager of Northstar. "Until then, we’ll continue to provide updates on the outlook and will share a new planned opening date as soon as possible."
Kirkwood is still scheduled to open Friday, Dec. 1, depending on if conditions allow for it.
Following the current storm impacting California, which is expected to only drop a few inches of snow across the Sierra above 7,000 feet, high pressure will dominate the weather pattern. This means warmer and drier conditions will persist through Thanksgiving week with no major snowstorms expected throughout that period.
A few ski resorts across the Sierra are already open, including Mt. Rose and Mammoth Mountain.
Boreal Ski Resort, located just off of Interstate 80, plans to open Thursday. Other resorts, including Sierra-at-Tahoe, plan to open next week, but the warm, dry weather could throw a wrench in those hopes.
