MT. CHARLESTON (KTNV) — Your first reaction to seeing Lee Canyon right now might be "snow way!"
Sorry, couldn't resist the pun there, but it's true — our most recent storm has left Mount Charleston blanketed in six inches of fresh powder.
Watch: Early snowfall is getting locals excited for Lee Canyon's upcoming ski season
While the slopes at Lee Canyon Resort aren't ready just yet, all the snow has staff optimistic about what this could mean for the upcoming ski season, after last year's drier than normal winter.
Jonathan and Hayoung Lawson were two of the dozens of folks enjoying the early season snow on Thursday afternoon. They told us they've lived in Las Vegas for 11 years, but it was their first time visiting Lee Canyon.
“It’s actually really nice, I’ve had fun taking the ski lift and building a snowman," Jonathan said.
“We were joking we should take a picture of us here and send it to my mom and tell her we’re in Sweden!” Hayoung said with a laugh.
Lee Canyon Resort Services Director Christian Best says the early snowstorm is getting their crew fired up for the winter ahead.
“Just kind of reminding us how quickly winter is approaching, and how quickly we’ll be back on the slopes," Best said in a Thursday interview.
Snow in October is not as uncommon as you might think, though.
Mount Charleston has experienced several mid-October snow events, most recently on October 12, 2021, when we saw 8 inches at Lee Canyon.
Before that was October 10, 2013 — that storm dropped 7 inches of snow at Lee Canyon.
“It’s always give and take in October," Best said. "We see a lot of drops in temperature early on, then it kind of spikes back up. It's definitely not the average, so this is an awesome sight to see again.”
Best says right now there aren't any plans to open their slopes early, but calls it a good start, especially after last year when Lee Canyon reported 110 inches of natural snowfall — 19 inches shy of seasonal norms.
"Every year's going to be different, right, but we’re definitely optimistic about the season ahead," Best said. "We will make snow as early as we can and make sure we get our trails open so we can provide Las Vegas with the freedom to ski."
In the meantime, people like the Lawsons are soaking in the snow and enjoying the beautiful fall colors.
“I’ve missed green trees, and the fall and autumn — you don't really get to see that very much in Vegas," Jonathan said. "Coming out here, looking at trees, I just keep pointing out all the trees!"
Lee Canyon staff tells Channel 13 that they'll still be open for a few more weekends of mountain biking before ski season gets underway — it's currently set to start on November 21, but that's subject to change depending on if we get any more snow.
There will also be hiring fairs to help staff up the resort for winter, when Lee Canyon officials say they hire up to 350 new team members.
Lee Canyon's first job fair will be held October 25 at Red Rock Resort's Strip View B Room from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Their second job fair will be held at Lee Canyon's Bighorn Grill on November 8, also from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, you can visit Lee Canyon's website by clicking here.