Photo: Sierra at Tahoe/Facebook
Tahoe has seen a little bit of snow this winter. Most of the country has, of course, but California powder hounds in particular have been navigating storm after storm since the faucets opened up before the 2022 holidays. At resorts in the Lake Tahoe area, that’s amounted to some astronomical snowfall numbers like 619″ for Sierra at Tahoe. The resort averages about 400″ per year, making this 2022-2023 season the third highest snowfall year in its history.
“The conditions have certainly been dynamic with a mix of light and heavy wet snow, low and warm temps, and high winds,” Sierra at Tahoe posted on its Facebook account, along with a handful of photos of the resort’s constant efforts to keep frozen moisture from building up at patrol stations and on lifts. But there’s only so much ground a crew can cover when Mother Nature just keeps sending snow. One image shows chairs completely buried.
“This historic year is a sight to see,” Sierra at Tahoe wrote. “Chairs have significant rime ice buildup that must be manually removed, lift shacks and ski patrol stations are completely buried, Puma chairs in West Bowl have been covered.”
For perspective, Bear Valley Resort, which is just south of Lake Tahoe in Alpine County shared a before and after image from Tower 8 of the Koala Lift, which is packed up to the pulley system. On the bright side, resort workers have an easy job inspecting the pulleys now.
Tower 8 of the Koala Lift at Bear Valley. Photo: Bear Valley Ski Patrol
