Mountain crews are now working feverishly to get the fresh snow groomed and the runs open for skiers and snowboarders who have been chomping at the bit while waiting impatiently for winter to really begin. Now it has.

The cold storm dropped snow levels into the low Sierra foothills and western Nevada and caused numerous spinouts and traffic delays. On Interstate 80, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) enforced chain controls for motorists not driving all-wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels. The controls started at Auburn, California, at 1,200 feet in elevation on the Sierra west slope and were in force all the way to the Nevada state line.

I-80
Interstate 80 is a vital conduit to Truckee and Tahoe╒s North Shore, home to major resorts like Sugar Bowl, Northstar, Palisades Tahoe, and Alpine Meadows. More than 70 percent of winter visitors in the Tahoe Region drive up from Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. Keeping Interstate 80 open and traffic flowing during major winter storms requires an army of men and women manning an armada of snow removal equipment.

On Sunday I had the dubious privilege of driving over Donner Pass during the first phase of the recent storm. Motorists without all-wheel drive vehicles with approved winter tires had to chain up to cross the Sierra. (Technically, all vehicles traveling I-80 over Donner Pass during the winter months are required to carry chains.) Tractor-trailers have to chain up both their drive and brake wheels, a tedious and time consuming chore. Maximum speed is 30 mph when chain controls are in effect.

Professional "chain monkeys" will install your tire chains properly for $30. Fifty years ago you could get chains mounted or taken off for about 50 cents, but no matter what the fee, it's your only choice if you're not wiling or prepared to lay down in the slush for a cold, wet job.

High-Tech Snowplowing
To help keep the road clear during white out conditions, Caltrans has developed a snowplow loaded with gadgets like a radar system that will prevent the 10-wheeled diesel from colliding with vehicles abandoned on the highway. Caltrans also uses magnets embedded in the roadway to allow the plow operator to drive "blind."

Nate Robinson, a Caltrans driver said of the tricked out plow, "You can't take out the human factor, but if the road was closed, the windows taped over, and there were magnets in the road, I could drive from here to San Francisco."

Mark McLaughlin is a Tahoe, weather-historian. The story and photos are from Mark.