Diehard skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes Friday, after heavy snowfall throughout the Sierra. Officials say about three feet of snow fell at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, and despite cold and windy conditions, many spent the day enjoying the fresh powder.
"This big storm's making everyone super stoked, so it's good vibes out here today," Jack Sutter, Reno resident said. "It's a little windy but the wind drifts are real fun and playful up here at Rose, so it's a good time."
Snow continued to fall during the morning hours at the ski resort, keeping the ski runs fresh.
"It's free refills, so we make the tracks and they get filled in with the new snow," Cody Chris, Reno resident said.
The additional snow is the most at the resort since early in the season. Since the snow is so light, the skiing conditions are expected to last a few days. The snow could also set the tone for the next month.
"This is winter," Mike Pierce, Marketing Director at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe said. "Anybody that thinks spring is started...no. This is a great shot in the arm just for the tourist potential because there's a lot of vacations that come in the month of March and into April."
Pierce says large snow storms usually get a lot more people up on the hill, both at ski resorts and in popular sledding areas like the Mt. Rose summit and Sheeps Flat. The wind and deep snow kept most sledding activities at bay. Annsley Guillen and Mary Sexton are students at Bishop Manogue. Since the snow canceled Friday classes, they decided to make the drive up to Sheeps Flat.
"We thought it would be a pretty great day to sled," Guillen said. "You know, snow day and a couple friends out, and it's a little more blustery than I thought it would be. Not ideal conditions for sledding but great conditions for a snow day."
"It's really, really cold and windy and it's extremely powdery, kind of hard to sled but it's great for snow angels and snowmen," Sexton said.
Ritch Luedke made the drive from Napa, California. His day did not go as planned but he decided to make the most of the snow.
"We were going to go skiing, today, and we looked up on the side of the mountain and it looked like a big whiteout, so we thought we would just try sledding for a little while," Luedke said.
A handful of others went snowmobiling in the Mt. Rose wilderness. With considerable avalanche danger, anyone going into the back country is encouraged to use extreme caution.
"All those going into the back country need to follow all of those guidelines for that kind of sport, but in resort ski areas, no we're in great shape," Pierce said. "That's what our patrol does."
With more snow expected into Saturday, Pierce says ski resorts in the Tahoe area expect a busy weekend.
