Storms are in the forecast through the weekend in the Sierra, but as of Wednesday afternoon it was too soon to tell what kind of impact they'll have at China Peak.

The ski resort at Huntington Lake, which opened last weekend, reported 2-4 inches of snow as of 4 p.m. and will have its beginner area open again Saturday and Sunday.

"The bigger, wetter and colder storm is now looking like the weekend, with the snow level expected to drop even more, well below our base elevation of 7,000 feet," China Peak reported on its website. "We will be open this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, and won't know for certain how much beyond the beginner area will be ready, clearly depends on how much snow we receive between now and Saturday.

"If we don't get enough to open more Saturday morning, and it snows all Saturday, it's very possible we could open upper mountain terrain and lifts on Sunday."

Badger Pass in Yosemite National Park is scheduled to open Dec. 14.

Truckee adventurer nominated for award

Jeremy Jones is one of the top snowboarders in the world. He's powered his career to new levels without the use of helicopters or snowmobiles in some of the gnarliest terrain on Earth.

And come Jan. 16, the Truckee-based Jones might also become National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year.

For the past eight years, National Geographic has picked a cadre of adventurers to vie for the exclusive title of People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. The company selects contestants based on their achievements in exploration, conservation, humanitarianism and adventure sports.

Jones, 37, joins adventure innovators such as supersonic BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner, paraplegic skier Josh Dueck and Austrian climber David Lama this year.

Jones recently finished work on his latest Teton Gravity Research film, "Further." Jones and his crew explored mountain ranges in Japan, Austria, Norway and Alaska on splitboards -- a backcountry snowboard that splits into two ski-like parts that can be used to climb slopes with skins.

Poachers busted

Blood dripping from the back of an SUV led to the arrest of two Sacramento men accused of illegally shooting a deer, then stabbing it to death in their vehicle when it suddenly came to and began to struggle.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office says the California Highway Patrol received multiple calls Nov. 18 from people reporting blood seeping out of a Toyota SUV near Shingle Springs, about 40 miles east of Sacramento. When authorities pulled over the vehicle, they found the deer carcass in the back. Officers say both men and the interior of the SUV were smeared with blood.

Go cyclocross

The penultimate race of the Homegrown Cyclocross Series season is set for Sunday at Woodward Park.

Start times are 10 a.m. (expert), 11:15 a.m. (intermediate) and 12:45 p.m. (beginner).

The series wraps up its ninth season Dec. 9.

News & notes

• Kaiser Pass Road above Huntington Lake and McKinley Grove Road east of Shaver Lake are both scheduled to close Friday. Check for the latest Sierra road updates at fs.usda.gov/sierra.
• Don't let winter weather stop you from enjoying the mountains. Join REI Fresno Outdoor School instructor Ryan Soares on Tuesday for a 90-minute free class on winter mountaineering. Details at rei.com/stores/fresno.