WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. – Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe harnessed the recent cold snap and started firing its snowmaking system this week.

It makes the resort the first in Tahoe, and among the first in the country, to start its snowmaking systems and produce snow in preparation for the coming winter.

“It’s always exciting to see the first taste of winter, and as an added bonus,” the resort’s marketing director, Mike Pierce, said, “to be able to crank out snowmaking in force over the next couple of days.”

Pierce says the resort plans to make as much snow as possible during this cold-weather window.

The resort’s network of snowmaking machines can produce snow when conditions are right, such as hours-long stretches of below-freezing temperatures and low humidity.

At 8,260 feet, the resort’s base elevation is the highest in Tahoe and plays a major role in churning out snow so early. The resort also attributes its early productivity to its mostly north- and east-facing slopes.

To open the resort, snowmakers aim for an average snow depth of 10-14 inches and over 1,000 vertical feet on at least one signature intermediate trail. Efforts are currently focused on the area served by the Lakeview lift, including terrain in the Kit Carson Bowl.

Weather and conditions permitting, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe plans to open on Nov. 6.