Mt. Rose ski area is armed with a slew of snow-makers, and as long as Mother Nature cooperates with cold, dry conditions, the resort will open this week. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss has the details.
With advertising that reads El Nino Is Coming...Get Your Season Pass Today the Mount Rose ski area is banking on a better winter, finally.
"Tahoe's had some lean years, and this one is forecast with the El Nino to be one of the bigger winters expected," says Mike Pierce, a spokesman for the resort. "At Mt. Rose with our high base elevation and our Northern exposure, El Nino years typically do favor us."
El Nino happens when temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, near the equator, become unusually warm, setting off a series of weather consequences around the world, including more precipitation and flooding.
Pierce has worked at Mt. Rose for two decades and remembers the major El Nino event back in '97.
"It was one of those years we had extensive snowfall throughout the year," he explains, "like over 500 inches for the year."
Early indicators have been similar, including this warm October, and Pierce says the resort is already seeing a bump in pass sales from last year.