Las Vegas ski resort extends season by week

Recent storms have caused the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort to extend its season a week.

The resort, which was scheduled to close Sunday , now plans to close May 2.

Three of the area's four lifts will operate from 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily for the next week.

This marks the longest season in the resort's 47-year history, according to Craig Baldwin, the resort's base operations manager. Due to early snowfall, the resort opened its Oct. 7. The resort normally opens on Thanksgiving Day and closes during the second week of April.

The current snow base is 60 inches, compared to an average closing week base of 24 inches. The annual snowfall for the season has been 216.5 inches, compared to the annual average of 120 inches.

The skiers is up 28 percent this season over the last season, according to the resort.

"People opted to forgo an out-of-state ski trip and instead stayed home and purchased a season pass. The early snowfall and our early opening generated a great deal of enthusiasm in the community that never slowed down," Baldwin said in an e-mail.