With an October 27 opening this week, Mt. Rose became the first Lake Tahoe-area ski resort to open for the 2017-18 season.
It’s always interesting to see who will be the first ski resort to open in the Lake Tahoe region. For the third year in a row, that honor belonged to Mt. Rose, which began operations Friday (Oct. 27) and Saturday. A year ago, Mt. Rose opened for skiers and snowboarders on Halloween day.
This year the cool evening temperatures were the reason Mt. Rose was able to make snow and become the first resort to open, beating Boreal Mountain, another resort that loves to be hailed as the first to open in the Tahoe region.
Mt. Rose had access to one beginner ski trail, accessed by the Wizard chairlift from 8 a.m. to noon on both days. Lift tickets were available for $20 for guests ages 16-over, and $10 for children ages 15 and under.
“At 8,260 feet, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe has the highest base area elevation at Lake Tahoe, so cold early season overnight temperatures have allowed our snowmaking team to work their magic over the last week,” said Mike Pierce, director of marketing for Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe.
“We were able to maximize the efficiency of our snowmaking system and stockpile enough snow to provide our guests with access to one trail so they can get back on their skis and snowboards. As conditions permit, and with Mother Nature’s help, we will continue to make snow and open more terrain and really get the season underway in the coming weeks.”
Located in Nevada off Mt. Rose Highway near North Lake Tahoe, Mt. Rose is just 25 minutes from Reno and has the highest base elevation of any Lake Tahoe resort at 8,260 feet.
Following last season’s six-month winter season with record-setting snow totals, Mt. Rose will aim for that goal again this year. After this weekend, the resort will resume lift operations and open additional terrain as weather and conditions permit.
A year ago, instead of closing in April, the huge amount of snow allowed Mt. Rose to extend the season more than a month. The resort offered one final weekend of skiing and snowboarding before closing for the season on Memorial Day. Mt. Rose finished strong with more than 13 feet of snow still stacked up on its slopes.
Mt. Rose received more than 770 inches of snow for the 2016-17 season. That shattered the old Mt. Rose mark of 600 inches in 1994-95. The ski resort has recorded 500 or more inches five times in its history.
“It was a record season in a big way,” Pierce said. “The season just wouldn’t quit, and we can’t say we weren’t happy about it. The conditions were phenomenal. For the second year in a row, that marked another six-month ski season and is a testament to our tagline, ‘8,260 – Where the Snow Is.’”
For more information about resort services, conditions or to purchase a lift ticket or season pass, visit www.skirose.com.
