Sierra Skiers Get A White Christmas

LAKE TAHOE (KCBS) -- A series of powerful storms has Lake Tahoe-area resorts celebrating their best skiing conditions in years.

The snow pack for the Lake Tahoe basin is estimated to be at more than 200 percent of normal for this time of year, with a lot of the snow just falling recently.

KCBS' Chris Filippi:

"We had, between those two storm systems, over 18 feet of snow come in," said Eric Doyne, a spokesman for Ski Lake Tahoe. "What it's done is allowed us to open the majority of the terrain at the resorts in record time."

Ski Lake Tahoe represents seven of the region's largest resorts. Doyne said El Nino brought more snow to the Sierra last season and that meant an increase in ski visits of about 17 percent from the previous year.

He said there's hope for the same this time around.

"I think right now, seeing how great the snow has been," Doyne said. "I think we're off to a very, very busy season."

Some Tahoe resorts said they've already received more than 25 feet of snow, which is nearly 75 percent of the average snowfall for the entire season.

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