Cool temperatures, light snow prolong Sierra ski season

RENO, Nev. - Last weekend's bicycle weather has returned to winter, assuring Heavenly Ski Resort of life beyond this month, while other resorts are planning to stay open until Memorial Day and beyond.

"The cold temperatures overnight set us up nicely for spring corn. Today we got about 3 inches of new snow which helped us out even more," Heavenly spokeswoman Molly Cuffe said on Wednesday.

"The forecast is for a nice beautiful weekend this weekend - fun times in the sun," she said.

The late April storm helped the South Lake Tahoe, Calif., resort decide to stay open on a daily basis indefinitely rather than shutting down during the week after Sunday and running limited lifts only on weekends.

Of the areas still open, that leaves Sugar Bowl and Kirkwood Ski Resort still planning to end their seasons after Sunday.

In it for the long haul are Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, which plan to keep their lifts running through at least Memorial Day, and Mammoth Mountain, where the goal is skiing in June.

"We welcome spring with open arms," said Squaw Valley Marketing Director Mike Livak. "Unlike most resorts, we extend our season as long as possible and in most years that means skiing into late May and sometimes even into June and July."

Three ski areas called it quits after last weekend as temperatures soared into the 70s under sunny skies. Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe and Northstar-at-Tahoe resorts closed Sunday while Sierra-at-Tahoe shut down its lifts Monday.

None of the areas suffers from a lack of snow, but the short-lived hint of spring last weekend sent ticket sales tumbling.

"The weather's getting nicer, the golf courses are open and there's just too much competition with other activities," Mt. Rose spokesman Mike Pierce said.

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