Tahoe Ski conditions: Driving will be tough but snow means more open terrain
Expect the gamut of rain, wind and snow this weekend in Lake Tahoe while ski resorts will have the most open terrain of the season thanks to recent snowfall.
That could mean chain control and hazardous conditions when traveling to the Sierras this weekend.
The National Weather Service is expecting rain around Lake Tahoe Friday night, while Saturday has a 90% chance of precipitation and wind gusts as high as 25 miles per hour. Snow is expected Sunday morning, followed by rain in the afternoon with a chance of precipitation at 80%.
The ski resorts, meanwhile, will be enjoying their most open terrain of the season following a light December of snow fall.
Heavenly near South Lake Tahoe is reporting 71 open trails (73% of the mountain). Northstar has 60 trails open, and Kirkwood, the third of Vail’s resorts covered by the Epic Pass, is nearly fully open with 83 of 84 runs available.
Mount Rose has 49 of 67 runs with 40-60 inches of packed powder while having one of the most heavily used artificial snow making systems. Palisades Lake Tahoe, which had a pair of avalanches last week, including one that killed a 66-year-old man, will be operating at 59% capacity, according to onthesnow.com.
Open terrain at other resorts, as of Thursday: Boreal (73%), Diamond Peak (92%), Homewood (61%), Sierra-at-Tahoe (79%), Soda Springs (63%), Sugar Bowl (89%) and Tahoe Donner (29%).
