Sports
Ski Season Begins In CA: When California's Ski Resorts Are Opening
Some of California's most popular mountains have already opened as a forecast El Niño winter could mean another season for the books.
CALIFORNIA — The ski season has officially begun in California as some of the state's most popular mountain resorts opened their lifts this month.
Palisades Tahoe, Heavenly and Mammoth are among the mountains already welcoming skiers and riders. Snow has already begun accumulating at the resorts as crews work to boost mother nature's efforts with manmade snow.
Following last season's record snowfall — over than 900 inches in Mammoth — this season could be another one for the books thanks to the El Niño forecast for the winter.
Find out what's happening in Across Californiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The National Weather Service expects El Niño patterns to continue for the next several months, with a 62-percent chance of it lasting through April-June 2024.
You can thank El Niño for the late-summer and fall rainstorms in California and expect that to mean more snowfall as autumn turns to winter: A Climate.gov analysis found that the Sierra Nevada sees a major spike in precipitation during El Niño winters. In fact, the mountain range's average of 10 extra inches of snowfall during El Niño years is one of the country's largest shifts.
Find out what's happening in Across Californiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Palisades Tahoe opened Wednesday. So far, beginner lift First Venture is the only chairlift open. The resort says it plans to expand its terrain by the weekend and expects up to a foot of snow on the mountain's upper elevations by Sunday morning, following snowfall earlier this week.
After a delay, Heavenly opened on Tuesday. On Wednesday, six lifts were providing access to three trails.
Mammoth opened on Nov. 10. As of Wednesday, it boasted a 12-inch base depth and 18 trails — the majority machine groomed — with seven lifts open.
Big Bear's Bear Mountain and Snow Summit are both set to open Nov. 26, while Snow Valley will begin welcoming skiers on Dec. 2, following canceled plans to open for Thanksgiving weekend. The resort says it's busy making snow and continuing to access conditions.
Here are other planned opening dates, which are subject to change:
- Northstar: Nov. 23
- Kirkwood: Dec. 1
- Sierra at Tahoe: Dec. 2
- June Mountain: Dec. 16
- Homewood: Dec. 15
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