Warm Weather Delays Ski Resort Openings Across SoCal

LOS ANGELES, CA — The holiday season may be upon us, but the ski season is running a little late.

Warm, dry weather forced ski resorts from Big Bear to Lake Tahoe to push back their opening dates this week. Some resorts announced new tentative opening dates in early December — a date likely to be pushed back again to mid-December if current weather patterns hold.

Others refrained from announcing an opening date so as not to push it back repeatedly.

The weather forecast for Big Bear Mountain, Mammoth Mountain and Lake Tahoe is the same through Dec. 1: sunny days with highs in the mid to low 50s, according to the National Weather Service.

As of Tuesday, few California ski resorts welcomed skiers and snowboarders, thanks in large part to a surprise October snowstorm that dumped 3 feet of snow in some parts of Tahoe. But Southern California has yet to see notable snowfall, and its major resorts pushed back planned openings this month.

Mammoth Mountain is the best bet for anyone looking to hit the slopes this holiday weekend. As of Wednesday, the resort had opened 39 of 163 trails, though lifts were not running.

"Colder temperatures are in the forecast for today, which will allow snowmaking to continue throughout the day," the resort reported. "Our team has been able to add snow the past few evenings, which should make for improved conditions out on the hill."

Palisades Tahoe, Boreal Mountain and Mammoth Mountain enjoyed rare October openings. But the optimistic start to the season gave way to a waiting game throughout a dry and warmer-than-usual November.

The heat left the other resorts out in the cold, too.

Bear Mountain and Snow Summit moved their opening dates back to early December and faced the possibility that opening day could again be pushed back to mid-December.

"Opening dates for the winter 21/22 season have not been announced," according to the Bear Mountain website. "Old Man Winter may be taking the scenic route to Southern California, but we’re still working to get both mountains ready for his highly anticipated arrival and will provide additional updates as they become available."

In Running Springs, the Snow Valley resort was looking at a tentative Dec. 11 opening date.

In Wrightwood, Mountain High was also waiting on a turn in the weather.

"Opening Day is coming soon! Are you ready? Traditionally we open in mid-November but it ALL DEPENDS ON THE WEATHER," the resort said on its website. "We are ready to begin making snow anytime so stay tuned for our OFFICIAL OPENING DAY ANNOUNCEMENT. With the right conditions, we can make enough snow to open the West Resort in just 3 days. Opening Day is soon.”

In Northern California, the situation wasn't much better, despite the October snowstorm.

On Tuesday, Sugar Bowl resort scrapped its plans for a Friday opening. The resort did not announce a new opening date.

“We had held onto hope as long as we could but with a forecast calling for more mild and dry weather in the week ahead, we must delay the start of our winter season,” the resort said in a statement posted to its website.

Vail Resorts’ Heavenly and Northstar pushed back their planned openings last Friday. They, too, waited for signs of a cooldown before publicizing a new opening date.

"A new opening date will be announced shortly after the Thanksgiving weekend," the Heavenly resort announced.

Diamond Peak’s projected opening day for the 2021-22 season is Dec. 9, weather permitting.
Though La Niña tends to make for an unpredictable ski season in Lake Tahoe and poor seasons farther south, many skiers and snowboarders refused to be deterred after more than a year of pandemic-hampered seasons.

Resorts were optimistic they’ll be able to pack their slopes.

For the most part, the masking requirements and social distancing capacity limitations of last season will be gone Mike Reitzell, president of the Ski California Industry Association told The Mercury News.

“That was challenging both for the guests and the people enforcing it,” Reitzel said.

“This year,” he said, “we’ve again worked really hard as an industry to offer a consistent message about what to do when you go to a resort. What’s important is that people need to check with the resorts on their social media and websites. There may be some places where indoor dining is extremely limited or very basic grab-and-go. Bars may or may not be open. Everything is fluid; much can change as the season goes on.”