Although the start of ski season looked bleak a week ago, it only took a subsequent six days for every Tahoe ski resort to open with considerable terrain for skiers and snowboarders.
On Saturday (Dec. 18), Tahoe Donner became the last of 12 Tahoe ski resorts to begin running lifts. That’s fantastic news heading into the Christmas holidays, traditionally one of the busiest periods for Tahoe skiing.
The lone opening exception is Sierra-at-Tahoe. Due to damage from the Calder Fire, the ski resort is hoping to open after the New Year.
There was no November snow in the Lake Tahoe region and last weekend there was only one non-beginner lift (Boreal Mountain) operating among all the Tahoe ski resorts.
However, that changed quickly last Sunday night (Dec. 13) when a sizable snow storm arrived that was desperately needed. Four days later, Tahoe ski resorts had received between 4 to 8½ feet of new snow, officially kicking off the 2021-22 season.
Fresh snow arrived as an early Christmas present for the Lake Tahoe region, where typically six to eight Tahoe ski resorts are open by Thanksgiving weekend.
A response by Palisades Tahoe spokesperson Alex Spychalsky typified the feeling among Tahoe ski resorts.
“While our skiable terrain is limited (right now), Mother Nature is giving us a lot to look forward to. The current plan is to open more lifts and trails this week,” Spychalsky said a week ago.
TERRAIN UPDATES: Palisades had seven lifts open Saturday and more than doubled that to 15 lifts by Sunday morning. Thanks to the huge amount of snow, Palisades was typical of all Tahoe ski resorts.
At Northstar, available terrain increased Sunday to 13 lifts and 64 trails. There was even better news at Sugar Bowl, which was reporting it was 99 percent open Sunday, offering access to 104 runs.
“The mountain is skiing and riding in mid-winter form,” said a post on the Sugar Bowl website.
Heavenly opened Sunday with 15 lifts and 69 trails. Family-friendly Granlibakken had its snow hill ready for skiing, riding, sledding and snow play.
Mt. Rose, which had the most snow (8½ feet) this week among Tahoe ski resorts, had every lift operating Sunday with the exception of the Chutes area.
Diamond Peak was also enjoying its enhanced terrain this weekend. “All runs except Lakeview remain open, with powder stashes still to be found out there,” said a message on the resort website.
BUSY WEEKEND: The number of skiers and riders was easily the most over the last two days, the busiest weekend of the young season.
Parking lots at Palisades and Heavenly filled up quickly on Saturday and Sunday morning. Despite the number of lifts that were opening, lines were on the large size at most Tahoe ski resorts.
This weekend is a precursor to Christmas week. Due to the large amount of snow this week and much more likely to come for what appears the remainder of the year, there will be lots of smiling faces at Tahoe ski resorts over the holidays.
WEATHER UPDATE: According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Reno, a series of winter storms will bring periods of stormy weather to much of California and Nevada next week.
The NWS says there will be few, if any, meaningful breaks in the weather in the Tahoe region once the storms begin Tuesday.
On Monday, expect light winds and no precipitation. From a weather perspective, it might be the best day of skiing and riding during the Christmas holidays.
The next round of significant mountain snowfall is likely to begin Tuesday. Significant snow should take place above 6,500 feet.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day may bring another round of snow hitting even low elevations. Snow days could continue through the New Year.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT (week totals, Dec. 19)
- Mt. Rose: 102 inches
- Boreal: 78 inches
- Kirkwood: 78 inches
- Palisades: 78 inches
- Soda Springs: 78 inches
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 77
- Northstar: 68 inches
- Homewood: 66 inches
- Sugar Bowl: 66 inches
- Tahoe Donner: 62 inches
- Heavenly: 56 inches
- Diamond Peak: 52 inches
- Granlibakken: NA
