With an abundance of unseasonably warm weather this week and the forecast calling for temperatures to fall significantly this weekend into next week, Heavenly Mountain Resort officials announced the ski area will hold off on a Friday opening and instead aim for a Nov. 23 start.
"A colder pattern is expected to settle in early next week, allowing us to get our snowmaking operation into full swing," Blaise Carrig, Heavenly's chief operating officer, said in a statement Wednesday.
Temperatures are expected to drop considerably by Sunday as compared with the basin's recent temperatures, which have neared 60 degrees. The basin could receive some snow by Friday from a storm that will hit primarily in the Pacific Northwest, forecasters say.
Nighttime temperatures, which have struggled to get below freezing this week, will drop to the high teens and low 20s beginning Sunday, weather models show. With daytime highs in the 40s, the cold temperatures appear to stay in the basin through all of next week.
"Our snowmaking crew is ready to jump into action as soon as temperatures allow," Carrig said.
The resort has been able to make some snow this past week, but weather changes have not allowed the South Shore ski resort to get the depth officials desire for quality skiing and riding.
Heavenly will open on the upper Nevada side of the mountain, accessible through the Gondola. The resort will keep its snow phone and Web site updated with the latest information, officials said.
As for other area resorts, Kirkwood has announced a tentative opening date of Nov. 24, while Sierra-at-Tahoe hasn't yet scheduled an opening date.
