California's Northstar Resort Opening More Terrain Ahead Of The Weekend

Northstar Resort in Tahoe saw 5 inches of fresh pow in 24 hours with the latest (and first real) Tahoe winter storm.

Due to the mini dump, officials at Northstar announced that "Martis Camp Express is scheduled to start spinning... TOMORROW!"

Additionally, "Washoe will be open for skiing and riding accessible by the Lookout Link for those of you heading over from the Frontside."

Check out Washoe and Martis Camp Express on the trail map below. 

"It truly takes a village to open terrain, so here's a quick snapshot of what that looks like: when the temperatures and conditions are right, our snowmaking team capitalizes to produce a whole lot of snow."

"Once they've made enough snow, they get back out on the terrain to move all the portable snow guns from the middle of the run to make room for our grooming team to pass through."

"Our grooming crew then moves in to start shifting around the snow, helping create a solid base, and setting up that corduroy we all love. And given the steepness of the pitch on Washoe, the grooming team needs to use a winch cat to safely complete all their passes."

Winch cats move up and down trails using a braided steel cable as opposed to roaming freely, and are, as Northstar explained, used when the trails are too steep for regular cats.

"Once the grooming team gets the trail in tip top shape, patrol follows shortly behind to evaluate all the aspects and conditions of the terrain, and they put the final touches on it with signage and any necessary rope closures."

This is why oftentimes during the height of snowstorms, the top of the mountain is closed (ironic, right?).

But this time, Northstar promises to have things locked and loaded exactly when you want to ski. "All that to say, our snow surfaces and patrol teams have been working together in lockstep *day and night* to get Washoe dialed for you this week, and we couldn't be more grateful for their ongoing collaborative efforts."

There's more in store, too, and with potential powder coming as early as tomorrow, officials on the mountain are moving on to even bigger things.

What's on the docket coming up? "Loggers Loop and East Ridge. The Backside is also high on everyone's radar — we need more snow back there, but our teams have a solid plan in place."

"For now, we're just as stoked as you are to get that terrain open as soon as we can and will keep sharing updates!"

We'll be patiently doing our snow dances and waiting on that backside.

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