Tahoe Ski World

skiing in Lake Tahoe

Heavenly ski resort closing Easter Sunday

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Another Tahoe ski resort has reluctantly given up, beaten by a season where snowfall was a rarity.

A lack of snow, like this spot at Heavenly, has resulted in many Tahoe ski resorts closing early this season.

Heavenly ski resort in Lake Tahoe announced Friday it would be shutting down for the season on Easter Sunday (April 5), closing two weeks earlier than expected.

Like all Tahoe ski resorts and ones throughout the West, Heavenly experienced a horrible season in terms of snow. In Tahoe’s first snowfall since February, Heavenly received 10 inches this week. But that only brought its season total to 195 inches, the third lowest total among 13 Tahoe ski resorts.

Heading into this year, Heavenly averaged 360 inches (30 feet) of snow each season

“Saying this is a tough call is an understatement,” a news release from Heavenly stated, explaining Sunday’s early closure. “Our team gave it everything we had. Moving snow, patching runs together, enduring some record high temperatures. But even with this recent dusting, we’re losing some key throughways and it’s time to wrap it up.”

Heavenly’s early closure comes during the resort’s 70th anniversary. The resort is encouraging skiers to visit Kirkwood, which received 17 inches of snow from the latest weather system. Kirkwood is one of three Vail Resorts in Tahoe. The other two resorts – Heavenly, Northstar – will be closed April 5.

After Sunday, only three Tahoe ski resorts will remain open – Palisades Tahoe, Mt. Rose and Kirkwood.

This season, snow didn’t arrive until late December in Lake Tahoe, rescuing the busy Christmas holidays from having no skiing during its busiest time of year. However, a dry January followed and February made a good comeback that was mostly washed out with Lake Tahoe’s warmest March in its recorded history.

After a disappointing final snow survey on April 2, the California Department of Water Resources called this water year for snow one of the worst on record.

“This was a remarkably bad snow year, not just ​one basin, but across most of them,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist within the California Institute for Water Resources, who attributes the trend to ⁠long-term climate change. “It’s really just been a tale of astonishing warmth throughout the West.”

Winter-like conditions were back Wednesday at Kirkwood after the resort got 10 inches of much-needed snowfall.
  • Closing dates Tahoe ski resorts
    • Homewood: March 17
    • Sierra-at-Tahoe: March 22
    • Tahoe Donner: March 22
    • Soda Springs: March 22
    • Granlibakken: March 22
    • Diamond Peak: March 29
    • Heavenly: April 5
    • Boreal: April 5
    • Northstar: April 5
    • Sugar Bowl: April 5
    • Kirkwood: April 19
    • Mt. Rose: TBD
    • Palisades Tahoe: TBD