SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Tahoe ski resorts are starting to look like a winter wonderland – over 17 inches of snow have fallen in parts of the Sierra.
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But unfortunately, it might not be enough for some resorts, as a few are still using artificial snow machines even during the drought.
At Palisades Tahoe, "it's top to bottom white out," said spokesperson Christine Horvath.
They got at least 12-inches of snow from this week's storms, with more on the way. Still, they are planning to operate their snow machines.
"We keep making snow every chance we get when the temperatures work for us," she said. "It's a good way to hedge and get a good base for the rest of the season."
According to Horvath, the artificial white stuff lasts longer than real snow, and so far they have not been told to cut back their snowmaking due to the drought.
Almost all of Tahoe's water supply comes from groundwater, which so far has been sustainable, and according to Horvath, the fake snow then returns to the underground water sources.
"It's a great thing because the snow, rather than evaporating, it's going back into the soil as it melts into the spring season," she said.
For the time being, the water supply is sustainable enough to enable resorts to continue making fake snow, but that may change.
"Who knows if that will always be the case, but today and in past years that has been the case," said Shelly Thomsen with the South Tahoe Public Utility District, one of the region’s largest water suppliers.
Eager skiers and snowboarders won’t have to wait much longer as most Tahoe ski resorts are scheduled to open just before Thanksgiving weekend.
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