Ski Resorts Hope For Right Kind Of Storm

Several Sierra ski resorts near Lake Tahoe will be open by Friday because of the seasons first big snow storm that struck Tuesday and also brought rain to the Bay Area. 

The conditions of the snow that flaked from above are not what resort operators like to see at this time of year. 

"What we need this time of the year is that more heavy, base setting snow, but of course we’ll take what mother nature gets us,” said Lisel Hepburn, who works for Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. 

She said Tuesday morning they're expecting two feet of snow on top of the mountain and a foot at the base of the mountain. 

“Temperatures have really dropped, this system is going to be a cold one, which is great news for snow making,” she said. “You can sort of feel the winds starting to kick up, we are expecting some high winds.”

The timing nearly mirrors what they saw last year, when the first big snowmaker hit on November 22, kicking off a record-setting year.