For John Slaughter’s marketing team at the Sugar Bowl ski resort in Northern California, going to the office was not easy after the area accumulated over ten feet of snow. The intense blizzard that dumped snow across the area forced employees to dig down multiple feet and tunnel through to the front door just to enter their offices.
As if digging their way to the front door wasn’t dramatic enough, things got even more out of hand after workers went upstairs and opened a door to the outside. This is when they were greeted by a thick wall of snow that stretched from the floor to above the door frame on the second level of the office building. Some members of Slaughter’s team took to X to post a video saying, “We’ve got some digging to do.”
Speaking on the intense storm, Slaughter said, “They’ve been chipping away at it since Friday, and had to tunnel down to the downstairs door to get in.” He continued, “It definitely keeps you on your toes.”
According to the National Weather Service in Sacramento, the ski resort, which lies 46 miles West of Reno, 7000 feet up among mountain peaks, recorded its highest amounts of snow from the storm. The blizzard brought copious amounts of the white stuff to the area beginning on Thursday and did not dissipate until Monday when it began moving through the Sierra Nevada.
The storm caused numerous traffic backups and closures along Interstate 80 as well as other roadways, shutting down ski resorts from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to Sugar Bowl with the warning covering a 300-mile expanse over the mountains. Furthermore, the blizzard left thousands of businesses and residential homes without power as massive winds slammed the Sierra.
An extensive stretch of Interstate 80, from west of Lake Tahoe over Donner Summit to the Nevada state line reopened to all but tractor-trailers late on Monday morning. However, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Truckee office, snow tires or chains were required. The mountain pass is named for the infamous Donner Party—a group of pioneers who, in the winter of 1846-1847, ended up trapped there and resorted to cannibalism to survive.
Sugar Bowl and several other resorts such as Palisades Tahoe, were also conducting safety checks and slowly reopening lifts. Snowboarders and skiers had been gearing up since the weekend for what they figured to be epic conditions.
Palisades was among multiple ski mountains that closed most or all chairlifts over the weekend due to the snow, wind, and low visibility. According to the Weather Service, Palisades recorded nearly eight feet of snow.
Areas of other mountain highways remained closed for the fourth day in a row, including Mt. Rose Highway, where Homewood Ski Resort received over 7 feet since Thursday night. The blizzard was another late-season blow for California snowpack, which is a vital part of the state’s water supply.
According to online data from the California Department of Water Resources, the water content of the snowpack was at 104% of the average on Monday, and 94% of the April 1 average, when it is ordinarily at its peak. And even more snow was in the forecast.
The Weather Service said that winter storm warnings were issued for another, albeit less powerful system to arrive later in the day and last into Tuesday evening.
Locals were cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the streets. While some outages continue, power has been mostly restored to thousands. Some people turned up at Sugar Bowl at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday but had to wait until 2:00 p.m. when crews were able to finally open a chairlift, leaving them little time to ski. Still, Slaughter said he thinks it was worth it given the incredible conditions.
Slaughter reportedly anticipated hitting the slopes himself before the next storm, saying “It just keeps coming.” He continued, “It looks like it’s going to be snowing most of this week. So if people cannot make powder turn today, there’s plenty more coming for you.”
