Ski Resorts Fire Up Snowmaking Machines Hoping For Early Season

LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) - Several Lake Tahoe area ski resorts began making snow Tuesday night and are hoping to fire up their snowmaking machines again tonight.

Boreal Mountain Resort, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar California Resort all started making snow Tuesday taking advantage of a cooler air mass that pushed its way into the Tahoe region.

Boreal hopes the snow created over the two nights will be enough to create a good base so it can continue its tradition of being the first resort open in Northern California.

This year, Boreal is hoping to open its first lift by Halloween.

Boreal and Northstar have Lake Tahoe's two largest snowmaking systems and are aiming for a Friday Nov. 18 opening day. According to Heavenly, their snowmaking machines can cover 73% of the resorts trails in machine made snow.

"Snowmaking is such a critical service that really improves the overall ski and snowboard experience," said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly's general manager. "It's another element that differentiates Vail Resorts' Tahoe properties from the other resorts around the Lake."

All three resorts believe skiers and snowboarders can expect one of the best early ski seasons in years.