Although we’ve had a couple healthy early-season storms in the Sierra Nevada the weather has been pretty dry the last couple weeks – but temperatures are finally dropping, which means that ski and board resorts have been aggressively building their bases with snowmaking.

Here are the latest opening day projections and resort updates for the beginning of the 2008-2009 ski and board season (as of Dec. 5 – conditions are subject to change.)

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: Open seven days a week turning two lifts with terrain features. Tickets are $20.
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort: Opening Dec. 6
• Alpine Meadows: Opening Dec. 12
• Squaw Valley USA: Opening Dec. 6 with intermediate skiing and snowboarding from the Exhibition/Searchlight Lift
• Diamond Peak: As conditions permit
• Heavenly Mountain Resort: Open seven days a week with six lifts
• Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort: As conditions permit
• Boreal: Open seven days a week with one lift and terrain features. Tickets are $20.
• Sugar Bowl: As conditions permit
• Kirkwood: As conditions permit

The Brickhouse Bakery is already open, and the other dozen business hoping to open this Saturday are rushing to put together the final touches at the new West Street Market project in downtown Reno.

These photos were taken Tuesday (there are also some older architectural renderings in the Flickr set). Locals and visitors can look forward to some cool spaces in Reno’s newest shopping and lifestyle venue.

The first BIG Snow of November

Originally uploaded by alpinemeadows

Recent storms in the Lake Tahoe basin have been low in temperature and high in moisture content, which can mean one thing: Deep snow. Some resorts have reported more than a foot of fresh powder and are talking about opening. Here’s a run-down of tentative opening days:

• Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: Dec. 8
• Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort: Nov. 22
• Alpine Meadows: Nov. 26
• Squaw Valley USA: Nov. 22
• Diamond Peak: Dec. 11
• Heavenly Mountain Resort: Nov. 21
• Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort: undetermined December
• Boreal: Nov. 7
• Sugar Bowl: Nov. 27
• Kirkwood: mid- to late-November