California ski resorts open lifts, runs amid new snow -- finally

Snow-starved ski resorts in California and elsewhere in the West were doing a happy dance Tuesday after weekend storms brought the first real snow of the winter to eager skiers and boarders who have been waiting out a drier-than-usual December and January.

Mammoth Mountain opened all of its 28 lifts and 150 trails Tuesday with a 3-to-5-foot base and 57 inches of total snowfall from the storm that began Friday, according to the resort’s website. In December, Mammoth had received just 2 inches of natural snow and was making snow to open limited terrain. Here are some photos of the mountain taken Tuesday.

Tahoe too reveled in snow. Squaw Valley reported a 30-inch base at 6,200 feet and a 36-inch base at 8,200 feet. Storms dropped 42 to 60 inches at the Lake Tahoe resort. Heavenly, also in Tahoe, had 24 of its 30 lifts open as of Tuesday.

And Badger Pass Ski Area in Yosemite National Park picked up about 2 feet of snow -- enough for a scheduled opening of its 10 runs and five lifts Thursday. Tioga and Glacier Point roads are closed inside the park, and a rockfall shut Big Oak Flat Road on the western side of Highway 120 (you can still access the park via Highway 140).

California wasn’t the only place jumping back into the snow game. Jackson Hole, Wyo., received more than 5 feet of snow as of Tuesday -- and more is reportedly on the way. Utah resorts Alta Ski Area near Salt Lake City and Deer Valley Resort in Park City picked up about 4 feet of snow in the last week or so.