Tahoe storm generating excitement among ski resort operators

Martin Griffith

Monday, Dec. 21, 1998 | 11:53 a.m.

RENO, Nev. -- A storm dumped a foot or more of snow in the Lake Tahoe area over the weekend, leaving resort operators rejoicing over some of the best skiing conditions in the country for the Christmas holiday season.

Resort officials said a string of December storms has left Lake Tahoe with above-average snowfall as other western resorts, particularly in the top ski destination state of Colorado, have snow machines in overdrive.

"This is really going to set us up for just a fantastic holiday," said Molly Cuffe, a spokeswoman for the South Lake Tahoe, Calif., resort Heavenly. "It gets people excited. They hear about snow and it makes them want to go skiing."

The Christmas season traditionally is one of the busiest periods of the season for Sierra Nevada resorts, and it should prove no exception this year, said Kirkwood spokeswoman Tania Magidson.

"It's looking really good going into Christmas for two reasons: California is getting the snow this year and it's pretty widely known that Colorado, Utah and the East Coast haven't been getting as much snow," she said.

On Sunday, 100 percent of Kirkwood's terrain was open. By comparison, less than a third of the terrain at Vail, Colo., was open, with snowfall there at only 60 percent of average.

But skiers faced difficulty getting to Lake Tahoe resorts on Sunday as chains were mandatory on Interstate 80 over Donner Summit and U.S. Highway 50 over Echo Summit.

Westbound truck rigs on I-80 also were held Sunday five miles west of Reno because of accidents.

Slick pavements kept authorities busy over the weekend as they reported about 200 traffic accidents in the Reno area alone.

The Nevada Highway Patrol responded to more than 80 accidents. Reno police handled at least 84 accidents and Sparks police responded to about 35 accidents.

A four-vehicle collision Saturday on icy I-80 about 15 miles west of Reno claimed the life of Christopher Williams, 7, of Empire.

Police said most of the accidents were caused by motorists driving too fast for conditions. A combination of snow and freezing temperatures caused the slick roads.

A cold front sent the mercury to its lowest levels in eight years across northern Nevada early Monday. Battle Mountain led the way with minus 23, followed by Ely and Truckee with minus 19 and Winnemucca with minus 14.

South Lake Tahoe checked in with minus 13, Elko minus 9, Minden minus 6, Carson City minus 5 and Reno minus 2.