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Oaks, bears & Almanac predict big winter

The ancient Ohlone used the oak trees and when they dropped their acorns in the fall to forecast weather for the coming winter in the Bay Area. In the north state, the Wintu watched the bears, and how...

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Lottery opens for Yosemite’s Ostrander Hut

Lottery registration for the winter season opened Tuesday for the restored Ostrander Ski Hut in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park. The hut is the cherished rustic stone cabin used by...

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Three trans-Sierra highways closed by storm

Caltrans closed three trans-Sierra highways overnight due to the first significant winter storm arriving Tuesday to California’s high country: Highway 108 over 9,623-foot Sonora Pass was closed from 26...

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Arctic cold front gives life to Tahoe ski areas

The Arctic blast that is sweeping into Lake Tahoe and the high Sierra this week is the best and worst news the ski resorts could get. Many operations hope get up and running soon, at least with limited...

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Where’s the snow? Drought hits Truckee-Tahoe

Where’s the snow? Not in Truckee, that’s for sure. Or at Donner Pass or Lake Tahoe, either. It looks grim for trips planned for the Christmas-New Year’s holidays. A tour of Truckee and Tahoe Wednesday...

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Here it comes: First snowflakes fly at Donner Summit

The first snowflakes in a projected five-day procession of snow and rain arrived at Donner Summit Thursday afternoon as the Tahoe region braced for storms many hope will reclaim the winter season....

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Weekend rain, snow a healing storm

                          Snowplows  clear I-80 over the weekend near Donner Pass. Photo by Reuters. The big storm over the weekend was a “healing storm.” That is, it is healing the landscape across...

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High-country powder solves Tahoe snow mystery

If you’re heading up to the high Sierra for Presidents Day Weekend, the search for quality snow might seem like you’re playing the old shell game with the hidden pea. Now you see it, now you don’t....

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Yosemite high country gets a foot of snow, Ostrander Hut lottery a go

Dawn light across the Yosemite high country Sunday unveiled a sparkling winter scene. The first big storm of the season transformed the high Sierra. At the same time, applications for the annual...

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High snow line petrifies ski biz

Early November snowfall at Mount Rose, with a base at 8,260 feet, can get snow when lower-elevation resorts get rain. Photo courtesy Mount Rose. It isn’t the chance of another drought this winter that...

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Storms bring hopes for Sierra snow

A series of three storms moving in from the Pacific this week has brought hope that Tahoe and Sierra resorts might open with improved conditions for the Thanksgiving holidays. Snowmaking at the higher...

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Two feet of snow forecast for Tahoe

Above: The scene at 8 a.m. Monday at Heavenly’s Dipper. The National Weather Service posted a Winter Storm Watch on Monday morning for the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding mountains, with two feet of...

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Yaktrax the $20 solution to snow treks

Up on the mountain this week, one of those “moments of clarity” hit a ton of people in the snow country. What they saw was like looking into a crystal ball and seeing their future. With clear weather,...

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Best and worst mountain names (the best is 33 minutes away)

What are North America’s worst-named ski mountains? Here’s a hint: Most of ‘em start with a B. Right. Here we go: Brighton, which sounds like a failed English seaside resort. Bogus Basin, which sounds,...

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