Snowboarders and skiers from out of town and locally say the ski resorts are the most crowded they’ve seen in years.
Over at Northstar California the parking lot was filled even before the resort opened, along with a line of cars down the road waiting to enter the resort to take advantage of the fresh snow.
Officials say the conditions on the mountains in the Sierra’s today are about as good as they get for skiing and snowboarding.
However, even with lines of cars, packed busses full of snowboarders and skiers, and parking lots full to the brim before the ski resort opens people still fled to the mountain. Joseph Gray, who has been a snowboarder since he was 12 years old says, "We're up here because it's a beautiful blue bird day, I mean we had snow storms the last three or four weeks, like a month, so I'm mean I'm out here to shred the pow."
With all the fresh snow attracting locals and those from out of town, the chair lifts are under a lot of pressure throughout the day.
Maggie Feldt, a skier at Northstar explains "We're a little worried the lift lines are going to be long, but we'll just make the best of it."
With word of fresh snow travelling around, many people tried to snag a parking spot to beat the rush. Many people got up bright and early to be the very first on the mountain, but they say even when it’s crowded there’s still plenty of room on the mountain especially now that the resort, according to officials, is 100% open.
The resort tells us 100 trails are now open helping to disperse the crowds. They say the snow started early this year and it hasn’t stopped, leaving the resort with almost 350 inches of snow.
Amy Ohran, the Vice President & General Manager for Northstar California says, "We just have so much snow that's really going to make for a great mid-season but it's going to carry us very well into the spring."
