Last weekend in Lake Tahoe, more than 200 Native Americans held a traditional "Round Dance" asking the Great Spirits to finally produce some snow.

At China Peak, employees are resorting to more traditional means.

"Just lots of wishing and hoping," China Peak spokeswoman Michelle Vikupitz said.

Looks like those prayers and wishes were answered, as the National Weather Service is predicting up to 2 feet of snow for the Southern Sierra Nevada from Yosemite to Kings Canyon by Saturday morning. More accumulations are likely Sunday.

Snow levels are expected to start at 8,000 feet elevation this evening, dropping to 5,000 feet by Saturday night. It'll be the first measurable snowfall at China Peak since the week before Thanksgiving.

As a result, Yosemite's Tioga Road closed for the season Tuesday night (no more ice skating on Tenaya Lake), with Glacier Point Road expected to follow suit.

Snowfall in Sequoia & Kings Canyon also will force the closure of the Generals Highway between the Wuksachi Lodge and Grant Grove. Expect all high-elevation roads in the Sierra National Forest to be closed as well.

News & notes

• A Nevada man paralyzed in a 2010 snowmobiling accident reached the South Pole on Tuesday, marking the 100th anniversary of British explorer Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's 1912 trek. Using a device called a sit-ski, 33-year-old Grant Korgan of Incline Village traveled about 75 miles in sub-zero temperatures over two weeks.
• Clovis native Mike Libecki, an internationally known rock climber and adventurer, is one of this year's recipients of the 2012 Mugs Stump Award. Libecki will use the grant, about $5,000, to help fund an expedition to Franz Josef Land, Russia.
• The Fresno County Sportsmen's Club will have its annual awards banquet Saturday at its clubhouse at 10645 N. Lanes Road. The public is invited. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7. Dinner tickets will be sold at the door for $10, $5 for children under 12.
• A meeting will be held Feb. 2 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Sierra National Forest headquarters (1600 Tollhouse Road, Clovis) to discuss its grant application to the state for off-highway vehicle funding.
• DNC Parks & Resorts, which operates all lodging and concessions in Yosemite, has launched a newly redesigned website at yosemitepark.com.