Skier and snowboarder visitor numbers in California and Nevada last season were down to 4.4 million because of the lack of snow, almost half what they'd been a decade earlier, according to the Kottke National End of Season Survey for the ski industry. Others operating lifts before Thanksgiving included Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley Ski Resort.