Ski resort begins making snow, hopes to be first in nation to open this year

Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort cranked up its snow-making machines on Mount Charleston late Sunday, the earliest date on record, in hopes of being the first ski area in the nation to open this year.

"This is by far the earliest we've ever made snow," said Brian Strait, president and general manager of the resort in Lee Canyon.

"We're on the cusp of being one of the first to open in the country."

It's feasible that the beginner slope and one chairlift could be open for the weekend, he said.

An early October cold front dropped Mount Charleston's temperatures into the teens during the night with a low of 18 degrees at 8,600-foot elevation.

That prompted Strait and his crews to run nine snow-making guns through the night to develop a base of blown snow created from a 1 million gallon reservoir.

Typically the resort targets Thanksgiving for its opening. Resorts in Colorado usually open in October.

Barry Pierce, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Las Vegas, said another system that could bring chilly temperatures into Southern Nevada again is developing off the California coast, but it's not nearly as strong or cold as the most recent one.

The forecast for Mount Charleston calls for more cloud cover with higher elevation temperatures in the upper 20s or low 30s on Wednesday and Thursday. Daytime warming will push those temperatures to the 40s and 50s.

Ideally, the snow-making effort needs temperatures at or below-freezing at elevations between 8,600 feet and 9,300 feet.

But Pierce said, "We've got high pressure coming in over the weekend with temperatures probably in the low 60s during the daytime.

"That could be an issue for them as well," he said.

In the Las Vegas Valley, the forecast calls for clear skies tonight with a low of 51 and winds between 3 mph and 6 mph.

Wednesday will be mostly sunny with a high of 80.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.