Snow is behind schedule

Angela Soo

Monday, Nov. 26, 2001 | 8:36 a.m.

Mount Charleston began to look like a winter wonderland over the weekend after receiving its first decent batch of snow of the season Saturday afternoon.

Snowflakes settled in little heaps on branches of trees that lined State Route 157. Snowmobiles were used to shovel frost from roads and driveways. Cars parked outside were covered with a thin sheet of ice. Slushy sounds could be heard from every footstep settling into the ground.

"We enjoy the change of season," said Marty Glenn, who has lived at Mount Charleston for three years with his wife, Luanne. "We got an inch or two about two weeks ago, but that was gone within 48 hours."

The National Weather Service reported 3.5 inches of snow from Saturday through Sunday afternoon, compared with an average snowfall for November of 9.2 inches, Donald Maker, spokesman for the weather service, said.

"Mount Charleston is actually one-third of the way from where they should be for this month," Maker said. "They have above-normal temperatures, but are below normal on precipitation."

Still, the weekend's mild snowstorm was enough to lure some Las Vegas Valley residents to the mountain.

Jerry Sennes, a Summerlin resident and Luanne Glenn's brother, drove up Saturday with his wife, Kim Sennes, to experience a winter pastime he has enjoyed since childhood.

"It was very pretty when we got up there," Sennes said. "I have memories when I was a kid in Ohio, where I would watch snow falling through the windows. I love it."

The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort in Lee Canyon was still closed because of warm temperatures. A snow report taken from the resort's hotline said opening day has been delayed to Dec. 1, depending on the weather. The Mount Charleston Lodge and Mount Charleston Hotel noticed an increase in the number of phone calls they received over the weekend.

"We got tons of phone calls asking us if we have enough snow to play in and when the next snowfall will be," said Amber Williams, an administrative assistant for the lodge.Tracy Schaolhorn, an acting manager of the Mount Charleston Hotel, said more people are calling to ask how much snow is on the ground.

"Last year we got snow on Thanksgiving and then didn't get snow again until January," Williams said. "This is the first big snowfall this year and hopefully it's a sign of a big winter."

Sun reporter Mary Manning contributed to this report.