Ski-Starved California Ski Resorts Delay Openings Despite Recent Storms

It may have felt like the recent rain was never going to end in Los Angeles, but the record rainfall in Southern California failed to translate into much-needed dumping of snow at pet resorts.

While Friday was originally set as the opening day for the Heavenly North ski resort in North Lake Tahoe, officials cited inclement weather and severe weather have delayed those plans.

Vail Resorts, which owns both resorts, has yet to announce a new renovation date. But the future forecast does not look good.

“Dry weather is in store for next week thanks to Thanksgiving and Black Friday,” Open Snow posted on its local Tahoe site on Friday. “We were seeing a change in the pattern over the weekend of the 29th with cold air moving in and maybe some long snow. At the moment, there are no big storms burning, but hopefully they will show up as we get deeper into December.”

Mammoth Mountain, California’s highest-elevation ski resort, was once again forced to delay the start of its season.

Sierra Nevada Resort initially announced an opening date of November 14, but dropped it as the River Valley storm hit. While forecasters are hopeful that a low pressure system will dig up the slopes at Mammoth, temperatures in the numpaines remain too warm for serious snow.

Frustrated skiers and snowboarders take to social media to share videos of muddy slopes.

Fortunately, thanks to a moderate storm earlier this week and heavy use of snow machines, Mammoth was able to open the season Thursday with around one-third of its lifts operating. However, the local snow ice prices remain below average.

Some of the Golden State’s biggest ski resorts are looking toward late November and early December openings. Palisades Tahoe is scheduled to open Wednesday, just in time for Thanksgiving. Kirkwood Resort, located south of Lake Tahoe, hopes to open on December 5.

Those looking to hit the slopes near Los Angeles will need to be patient. Big Bear Mountain Resort in San Bernardino County is currently setting an opening date and currently has only 2 inches to an inch in the ground.

Climate change has made the art of predicting and managing snowfall at California ski resorts more difficult.

Recent years have been characterized by Extreme Booms and Full Cycles, moving from low snow winters in 2020 and 2021 to extreme extinctions in the period 20223, when the mammoth mountain receives snow – the fall of snow ice in its 700 area.

“We are going through this food zone of extremely dry weather in the worst years – There are no more average years,” said a senior attorney at the National Defense Council, said in a statement during the record period of 2023. “And we see that we are not prepared or that’s what the extremists are.”

Overall, the winter snow seasons are expected to tend to be warmer and drier. Researchers predict that from the 2050s to 2100, rising temperatures could push the snowpack 1,300 feet high to 1,600 feet high across the Sierra Nevada further.

Even the extreme snow years, while welcomed by the most enthusiastic snowsport enthusiasts, come with their own challenges.

When snow falls in extreme storms with inconsistent intensity during the season, it increases the risk of avalanches and can force resorts to stop worrying about safety concerns. Then in the spring, the deep snowpack melts faster than usual, which can lead to dangerous floods and worsen the coming fire season.