Officials warn drivers of hazardous road conditions

PRATHER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Scattered showers throughout the Valley and snowfall in the mountains brought an eventful start to the weekend. Slick roadways weren't the only thing drivers had to worry about, a sinkhole had Caltrans crews diverting drivers at the Highway 99-180 connector.

Further east into the Sierra, traffic to and from China Peak was snarled for several hours. A sight like this was all too familiar for CHP officers who responded to close to 300 stranded motorists from Prather to Shaver Lake.

As droves of eager skiers and snowboarders headed up the mountain, more than a dozen spinouts caused a backup so large, Caltrans and CHP had to shut down their only way to get there.

"As far as the backup that went for miles they counted a couple hundred cars back," Sam Yniguez of Caltrans said. "There's enough of the people coming up and down the hill that don't know how to drive even if you do know how to drive and have chains you can still go into a spin."

Traffic coming down the hill was just as bad.

Because no one plans on getting stuck CHP and Caltrans are warning drivers to always carry a blanked extra water and snacks if you plan on driving in the snow.