LEE CANYON (KTNV) — We've enjoyed near record setting high temperatures in Southern Nevada this week, which has been great in the Las Vegas valley, but you might be wondering what that means for snow on Mount Charleston.
These warmer than normal conditions are coming just weeks after an early-season winter storm dropped more than two feet of snow in the Spring Mountains in November, so I wanted to head up to Lee Canyon to see how this week's temperatures are affecting business at Lee Canyon Ski & Snowboard Resort.
WATCH | How Lee Canyon is faring in this week's warm weather
Mount Charleston is far from the winter wonderland it was the last time I was up there on November 20, but any questions about if Lee Canyon Resort is seeing a slump because of our unseasonably warm weather can be put to rest: the parking lot is packed, the slopes are full and business is booming on a Saturday that saw high temperatures 10 degrees above normal in the mid-50s.
Visitors like Austin Wendel were eager to hit the slopes Saturday afternoon.
"The weather's a little warmer than normal this time of year, but the snow's soft," Wendel said. "Everything else is a good time, might as well come up and enjoy!"
Wendel is a frequent flier at Lee Canyon and was there opening weekend when fresh powder blanketed the mountain.
"It's a little bit different today, but it seems like people are still having fun," I said to Wendel.
"Absolutely," he replied. "Tons of smiles everywhere, lots of people laughing – I've got no complaints!"
One thing's for sure: warmer weather won't keep Lee Canyon regulars away.
"It's full weekend mode up here," Lee Canyon Marketing Coordinator Johnny DeGeorge told me. "We've had a really awesome start to winter – it's been busy, it's been perfect up here."
DeGeorge said they're still hanging onto plenty of that snow from November, but the key to the season's success so far has been really cold overnight temperatures earlier this month which allowed crews to make a lot of manmade snow and blow it all over the mountain.
"It's a whole different world from last year to this year," DeGeorge said. "We have every chairlift open, every run is open – you can ski around the whole mountain right now. It's everything you could ask for in the early season, which we're very much still in."
"What can you say about the crew that's been making snow, making it possible for all these people to be here?" I asked Austin Wendel.
"The crew's been hard at work," Wendel said. "They've done a lot of grinding to make sure we are lucky enough to be out here, to enjoy the weather."
While crews stay hard at work making snow whenever they can, everyone on the mountain has their fingers crossed for more natural snowfall from Mother Nature soon.
Lee Canyon Ski & Snowboard Resort staff suggest purchasing your lift tickets online before you head up the mountain, especially on busy weekends.
For more information about Lee Canyon and to purchase lift tickets, visit their website by clicking here.
