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Ski Resorts: 'We're Ready' For People Escaping The Smoke

TAHOE (CBS13) —With a thick blanket of smoke still suffocating the valley, people are headed up to the Sierra this weekend to escape.

"Yeah, it's really nice to be able to breathe deeply again," said Andy Mieske who traveled with his family from Davis to Boreal Ski Resort near Tahoe, Friday.

With schools closed in and around Sacramento, the Mieskes found plenty of fun in the man-made snow.

"We're all able to take nice deep breaths, and the kids are having a great time," said Sam Mieske from Sacramento.

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Traveling up I-80 from Sacramento, the smoke begins to clear in Placer County near Auburn, but it's not until around 5,000 feet elevation that it dissipates nearly completely. Officials with Visit Placer hope activities in the Sierra will provide at least a mental break this weekend from the tragedy of fire.

"This is a great time for people to be getting out of the smoke to go up there because honestly, this is still kind of the shoulder season up there, so there's a lot of rooms, hiking, and outdoor activities are fully in swing up there," said CEO Rob Haswell.

Officials at resorts like Boreal say they're open and ready the extra guests.

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"We certainly are. And it's great to see families making their way up into the Sierra, into this beautiful crisp clean mountain air. I think we're going to see quite a few people coming up to visit the Sierra and the ski resorts this weekend," said President and General Manager, Amy Ohran.

Officials say people should expect some traffic delays when headed up to the high county this weekend. They also urged travelers to check with their individual resort, as some are offering discounts to fire victims.

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