Dodge Ridge preps for Wednesday open

Central Sierra ski areas received the first significant snowfall of the season from storms that began Thursday, a boon for what has been a mostly bust ski season.

Dodge Ridge Ski Area, which depends solely on natural snowfall, is opening for the season Wednesday.

Jan. 25 will be the latest opening date for the ski area in more than a decade. It opened Jan. 27 in 2000.   

According to Dodge spokeswoman Amber Jenquin, 80 percent of Dodge’s terrain will be open.    

Dodge received about an inch of snow per hour for most of the day Monday,    

“The storms are back to back,” Jenquin said. “It’s been good. They’ve all delivered.”    

The base of the mountain received 8 inches of snow Sunday night, with the summit (2,400 feet higher in elevation) receiving 10 inches. Jenquin estimates Dodge had received 38 to 40 inches of snow by Monday afternoon.    

Dodge Ridge’s typical season runs from mid-December through April.    

“Winter finally arrived, and we’re happy to have it,” Jenquin said.    

Bear Valley Mountain Resort, which has been manufacturing its own snow on its beginner and intermediate slopes since opening on Dec. 16, sent crews to groom the fresh snow across the resort.    

A weekend snowfall of about three feet kept Bear Valley crews busy.    

“When people see all this snow, it’s exciting,” said Rosie Sundell, resort spokeswoman. “But now we have to get to work to get the terrain open. All that work they do to make the mountain safe and ridable, get the lifts operating, takes time.”    

After each season’s first snowfall, crew members pack the snow down into a base. Snowfall settles over time, reducing total depth, so Bear Valley won’t know the actual depth of snow on its trails until mid-week.    

“Where we are right now, it’s like early season,” Sundell said. “We’re waiting for the next storm to create better runs and powder.”    

The National Weather Service’s prediction for the coming week is dry, mild weather, but even a ski area with its own snow machine continues to hold out hope for snow.    

“It’s better for the industry if there’s lots of skiing going on,” Sundell said.     =

Sonora Pass, Ebbetts Pass, Monitor Pass, and Tioga Road all closed for the season as a result of this weekend’s snowfall.    

“Caltrans crews have worked around the clock keeping the highways clear and open as much as possible,”said Caltrans spokeswoman information officer Angela DaPrato.   

All four passes close on an annual basis due to winter driving conditions. Within the past eight years, Tioga and Sonora passes have closed as early as October 17.  

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center gives a 50 percent chance of below-average precipitation for the Sonora area through February, with an equal chance of above-average precipitation.