Powder brings out the hounds

Some weekdays, perfectly healthy Truckee-Tahoe residents have great reason to call in sick.



Like Thursday, when an overnight snowstorm gave way to blue-bird skies as if on schedule with local chairlifts.

“I’m seeing a lot of people who probably should be at work right now, but aren’t,” said Rachael Woods, public relations manager at Alpine and Homewood resorts. “You pretty much can’t take a lift without seeing someone you know.”

Woods was ecstatic, boasting about the 12 to 16 inches of fresh, “floaty” snow that filled in and reformed the sparsely covered face of Alpine Meadows. That extra foot-plus Wednesday night was icing on the cake, pushing the weeklong storm total to 41 inches at the summit of the resort.

“It really changed the mountain drastically, in a very good way,” Woods said, speaking from first-hand experience Thursday morning. “I just got back from powder skiing, so I’m having trouble thinking right now.”

Alpine was not the only Tahoe resort blessed with the pre-holiday boon.

Sugar Bowl reported 36 to 50 inches of new snow in the past week, while Northstar-at-Tahoe and Squaw Valley USA received up to 30 inches, according to the resorts’ Web sites. In a 24-hour period, Sugar Bowl was blanketed with 24 to 34 inches.

The recent storms and their generous offerings also kick-started construction in local terrain parks.

Boreal Mountain Resort, which reported a 38- to 48-inch base Thursday morning, recently announced the opening of its Olympic-size superpipe — the first to open in California.

With even more snow in the forecast, the masses are sure to arrive before the holiday. Get your tracks while you can.

North Tahoe resort update

Northstar-at-Tahoe

24-hour total: 10-24 inches

Seven-day total: 14-30 inches

Current base: N/A

Lifts running: 10

Opened: Nov. 15

Alpine Meadows

24-hour total: 12-16 inches

Seven-day total: 30-41 inches

Current base: 35-60 inches

Lifts running: 5

Opened: Nov. 30

Sugar Bowl

24-hour snow total: 24-34 inches

Seven-day total: 36-50 inches

Current base: 36-50 inches

Lifts running: 7

Opened: Dec. 1

Squaw Valley USA

24-hour total: 10-14 inches

Seven-day total: 28-30 inches

Current base: 45-50 inches

Lifts running: 15

Opened: Nov. 17

Homewood

24-hour total: 10-15 inches

Current base: 36-42 inches

Lifts running: 3

Opened: Dec. 15

Boreal

24-hour total: 11-15 inches

Current base: 38-48 inches

Lifts running: 5

Opened: Nov. 12

Donner Ski Ranch

24-hour total: 24 inches (approx.)

Current base: 12-36 inches (approx.)

Lifts running: 3

Opened: Dec. 15

Soda Springs

24-hour total: 11-15 inches

Current base: 38-48 inches

Lifts running: 2

Opened: Dec. 15

— Compiled from resort Web sites