Snow covers China Peak, brings thousands of tourists with it

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Weekend weather dumped feet of snow on China Peak. Fresh white powder blanketed the mountain resort, leading general manager Troy Cohee to call it a "miracle."

"This storm total was four to five feet, and that's the biggest storm we've gotten this season," he said.

The snow helped make up for a winter that was slow to start and brought thousands of tourists with it.

Ryan Robinson drove to China Peak with his family from Visalia to hit the slopes with his snowboard.

"Snow was great," he said. "Lines weren't that bad, which was also awesome."

It was his first trip this season.

"The snowstorm that came through put like four feet, they said. It's like the best time to come," he said.

Plenty of others thought so, too.

Cohee told us Saturday morning that it was already shaping up to be a busy day.

"We definitely won't park out, but we will, you know, we'll be expecting over 2000 people here. We saw the same thing last weekend, and that's a great weekend day for us," he said.

As Action News drove from Fresno, we first saw snow at about 3500 feet, a few miles from Shaver Lake.

Crews there kept the roads dry and clear, but at higher elevations near the mountain, it was a different story.

"Caltrans was set up about, I think, four to six miles just before Tamarack Ridge at one of the snow parks," Cohee said.

With more tourists expected on Sunday, Cohee is urging travelers to take simple precautions.

"We've got chain control, and we've got some snowy roads, so make sure you guys are well prepared carrying chains," he said. "Make sure you're pulling over and putting on your chains in appropriate areas and well ahead of time."

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