Sierra snow welcome sight for Tahoe resorts; new ski village approved

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. - This week's round of snow is a welcome sight for the Tahoe resorts which have kicked off their season a little early this year and comes after a new ski village was approved in Placer County.

Palisades Tahoe and Boreal Mountain are set to open on Friday. 

Heavenly and Northstar have already opened.

 "We've seen a little bit of rain, but that doesn't stop people from getting out and getting, like, the first chair," said Ashlee Lambert, spokeswoman for Vail resorts. "They'll do whatever it takes to get back on snow."

Soda Springs Mountain Resort is set to open next Friday, followed by Kirkwood on Dec. 6. 

While skiers are psyched for the fresh snow, the California Highway Patrol is urging drivers to check the current highway conditions heading up to Lake Tahoe this weekend before Thanksgiving.

Patricia de Luna of Campell said she feels ready.

"We have the chains, of course," she said. "Snacks for the kids, water, gas."

Amir Heidari of San Jose said he realizes it will be a hard commute up to the mountains, so he plans to evaluate the roads before deciding to head to the slopes. 

Meanwhile, the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new 85-acre resort village at Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley, which would include a redevelopment of the existing ski resort base.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the vote came after nine hours, where many local residents worried about the project's potential impact on their quality of life. 

In fact, this project was initially approved in 2016 but has been held up in the courts over environmental concerns.

The newly approved plans include a blueprint for 850 lodging, 1,500 hotel rooms, restaurants, retail and other ski services, along with 8.8 acres for employee housing, a community market, and a 3,000-space employee parking lot, according to Placer County. 

KTVU's LaMonica Peters contributed to this report.