First big storm of season blankets Sierra with snow

Hayden Hildenbrand, 5, and his sister, Abby, 7, wait for their rented skis to get adjusted Friday at Don Dobbler's Ski Cottage in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

First big storm of season blankets Sierra with snow

By Chris Nichols
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Saturday, December 8, 2007 6:41 AM PST

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Get your thermal underwear ready.

Find your gloves and goggles, and wax up your skis and sleds.

The first major snowstorm of the season has left more than a foot of fresh, white snow in the Sierra Nevada.

"It was about time," said Mark Hildenbrand of Lodi, as he gathered skis, boots and poles for his young son and daughter at Dobler's Ski Cottage on Church Street.

"We've been waiting for it," he added. "That's why we came in today — so we could get ready to head up."

Between one and two feet of snow dropped in the Sierra from Thursday to Friday, on meadows and peaks above 4,000 feet, said Johnnie Powell, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The storm — which was expected to clear, leaving sunny skies for Saturday and Sunday — should allow two area ski resorts to open this weekend.

Kirkwood and Bear Valley mountain resorts expected to have limited ski runs open, depending on Friday's final flurries.

"This is the storm we have been waiting for," Allon Cohne, Kirkwood's director of marketing, said in a statement. He added that at least two chair lifts will be open this weekend, and that two additional lifts could be available.

Bear Valley will have at least one chair lift open, and as many as two more, according to a marketing representative.

Dodge Ridge Ski Area will not open this weekend, said marketing director Andy Willie. The Highway 108 destination needs "another foot or so" of snow at its base before it can greet skiers and snowboarders, he said.

Powell, of the National Weather Service, said this was the season's first storm to dump up to a foot of snow on the mountains.

He said the timing of the snowfall was just about right, as storms typically arrive in earnest just after Thanksgiving.

"It's a normal, nice December storm to start the season," he added.

Contact information for area ski resorts

• Bear Valley Mountain Resort: Located about three miles east of Arnold on Highway 4. For snow conditions and general information, call (209) 753-2301 or visit http://www.bearvalley.com.

• Kirkwood Mountain Resort: Located on Highway 88 east of Jackson. For snow conditions and general information, call (877) KIRKWOOD or visit http://www.kirkwood.com.

• Dodge Ridge Ski Area (not yet open): Located on Highway 108, east of Sonora near Pinecrest. For snow conditions and general information, call (209) 536-5300 or visit http://www.dodgeridge.com.

Source: Local ski areas.

Other places to play in the snow:

• Leland High Sierra Snow Park: opens Saturday for the season. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The park is located on Highway 108, just east of Strawberry. The tow rope is not yet open, but sledding in welcome. Call (209) 965-4719 for more information, or visit http://www.snowplay.com

• Long Barn Ice Skating Rink: Open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m. The rink and lodge are on Highway 108 in the small town of Long Barn. Call 586-3533 for more information.

• Calaveras Big Trees State Park: Open year-round sunrise to sunset. The visitor center's winter hours are: weekends 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. except snowy days. For more information, call (209) 795-2334 or visit http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=551.

• Spicer Sno-Park: The snowplay area is 44 miles east of Angels Camp on Highway 4 at Spicer Road. A Sno-Park permit is required for each vehicle parked at a Sno-Park site from Nov. 1 through May 30. For more information, contact the U.S. Forest Service at (209) 795-1381.

— News-Sentinel staff

Contact reporter Chris Nichols at chrisn@lodinews.com.

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