Strong winds and white-out conditions forced many Sierra Nevada ski resorts to close Thursday. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning and Caltrans urged travelers to use chains while traveling Highway 80 toward Tahoe.
But Friday, the roads cleared and many ski resorts opened after receiving almost two feet of snow.
Sugar Bowl Resort, near Donner Lake, got 22 inches and Alpine Meadows, which opened for the first time this season, has 14 inches of new snow.
Tegan Kopilenko, a spokeswoman for Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows, said the storm improved ski trails near the base of the mountain, where the resort has been relying on man-made snow.
“The lower parts don’t always get snow early,” Kopilenko said, “and this year they are, so it makes more of the mountain accessible to more people.”