Cold weather and a major winter storm blanketed Lake Tahoe with more than 2 feet of new snow late last week and over the weekend.

Colder temperatures and the storm everyone has been waiting for finally hit the Lake Tahoe basin bringing with it fresh powder and happy faces. There are seven alpine ski & ride resorts now open, with several more set to open soon, and two nordic (cross-country) resorts open.

Interstate 80 and Highway 50 are both open as is the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Kirkwood reported 32 inches of new snow at its summit from this last storm and Heavenly reported over 2 feet of the fresh white stuff. The forecast calls for cold temps and sunny skies which is the perfect combination for power skiers and boarders but also for folks that prefer the groomers, chatting on the chair lift and hanging out for a long lunch on the outdoor deck.

On Tahoe’s North Shore, Sugar Bowl timed its opening perfectly opening Saturday for weekend skiing until December 14th when they plan to open full-time. Squaw, Boreal, and Sugar Bowl all reported over a foot of new snow from the storm.

For cross country enthusiasts, the storm did the trick with Royal Gorge XC opening 13 trails and 14km today. Tahoe XC is open with 16km of trails.

Heavenly has opened its Adventure Peak Sledding and Boreal has its tubing operations open. Granlibakken, one of Tahoe’s best kept secrets on the North Shore, has its novice slope and sledding hills open for business.

Here is a list of the Lake Tahoe alpine ski resorts that are now open:

North Lake Tahoe:

1 - Squaw Valley

2 - Northstar California

3 - Boreal

4 - Sugar Bowl (weekends)

5 - Mt. Rose

South Lake Tahoe:

6 - Heavenly

7 – Kirkwood

Alpine Meadows, Squaw’s sister resorts in their still new partnership, is scheduled to open December 13th along with Homewood and Tahoe Donner. Click here for a full list of all Lake Tahoe ski resorts.

Here are a few lodging options worth noting in North Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe:

North Lake Tahoe

• Near Diamond Peak - Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino… Located in picturesque Incline Village on the “Nevada side”, the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe offers guests AAA Four Diamond luxury lakeside accommodations, a casino floor, restaurants (including Lone Eagle Grille & Cutthroat’s Saloon) and is close to Diamond Peak, Mt.
• Near Northstar California - The Village at Northstar™ … Beautiful luxury accommodations in the beautiful village at base of Northstar. Steps from the gondola, skating rink, restaurants and shopping.
• Near Squaw Valley & Alpine Meadows - Resort at Squaw Creek… Full service luxury resort with ski-in, ski-out access to Squaw. Also features a skating rink, multiple restaurants, outdoor pool and shopping.

South Lake Tahoe

• Near Heavenly - Horizon Casino Resort Lake Tahoe… Where you can walk across the street to the Heavenly Gondola. Low, value room rates and large enough rooms where ski groups can fit more people into one room than other places to stay in the area.
• Near Heavenly - The 3 Peaks Resort & Beach Club… Offers guests Tahoe style motel rooms, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom suites and a nice 5-bedroom cabin. Rates are always low and they offer an outdoor Jacuzzi and are pet friendly. You can walk to Lake, Heavenly Gondola and casinos.
• Near Heavenly – The Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel & the Forest Suites both offer a great location and suites. The Lakeside Inn and Casino is also in a great downtown Stateline location walking distance to it friendly slots and the Heavenly Gondola.
• Near Kirkwood – Pyramid Peak Properties offers a fantastic selection of slope-side, family friendly and pet friendly vacation rental homes and condos near Kirkwood.
• Transportation Tip – How to get from the Reno-Tahoe Airport easily and without spending a fortune? Call Jerry Keys.. To find and contact Jerry Keys, copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.tahoesbest.com/jerry-keys-yellow-cab-co.
• Check the TahoesBest weather page for up to date Lake Tahoe weather reports, weather forecasts, radar maps, road conditions, Caltrans traffic cams, web cams, and daily ski resort now reports.

For more information about the recent storm, read this article.