Although the season is coming to a close, Mt. Rose has some terrific ski conditions right now, thanks to a foot of new snow in the past 48 hours.
The snowfall began Tuesday evening and was intermittent through Thursday morning (April 15), delivering 12 inches of new snow at its summit to Mt. Rose, located off the Mt. Rose Highway and approximately 10 miles from Incline Village in North Lake Tahoe.
“With snow levels well below our base, get ready for a great spring powder day. Groomed runs will have fresh snow on top,” a message Thursday on the Mt. Rose website said.
Mt. Rose wasn’t the only Tahoe ski resort to benefit from the modest snowfall. Northstar California got 9 inches over two days and Heavenly Mountain had 6 inches.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT (April 15)
- Mt. Rose: 12 inches
- Northstar: 9 inches
- Heavenly: 6 inches
- Sugar Bowl: 3 inches
- Soda Springs: 3 inches
- Boreal: 3 inches
- Squaw Valley: 3 inches
- Alpine Meadows: 3 inches
- Diamond Peak: 0 inches
Four Tahoe ski resorts closed operations Sunday, April 11 – Kirkwood Mountain, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Homewood Mountain, and Tahoe Donner. Seven more Tahoe ski resorts are operating their lifts for an additional week, with tentative closings on Sunday, April 18.
TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSING DATES BELOW
Weather and conditions permitting, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will be open approximately seven weeks longer than any other Tahoe ski resort, establishing a closing date of Memorial Day – Monday, May 31.
“Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is known for its amazing spring skiing and riding. We are so happy we can continue to offer up outdoor recreation to visitors and locals,” said Squaw-Alpine spokesperson Christine Horvath. “While it might look a bit different with fewer events and music this spring season, the skiing and riding will be in our usual tradition of fun at the Spring Skiing Capital.”
Due to COVID-19 considerations, the ski season in Lake Tahoe got off to a later start than usual. Mt. Rose, which is normally the first Tahoe ski resort to open, often times in late October, pushed back its opening day until Nov. 20. Northstar California and Heavenly also opened Nov. 20 and six other Tahoe ski resorts were running lifts by Thanksgiving weekend.
COVID-19 was not the lone issue facing Tahoe ski resorts this season. There was a general lack of snow, evidenced by only one Tahoe resort (Squaw Valley) has reached the 300-inch snow mark for the season. In many normal snow years, the totals of at least several Tahoe ski resorts exceeds 500 inches.
Despite the low snow totals, most Tahoe ski resorts have enjoyed solid snow conditions this season. While overall numbers of skier and snowboarder visits are down at all resorts nationwide, considering the possibility that resorts could have been shut down sometime during the season due to COVID-19 implications, the 2020-21 should be considered a huge success.
To the knowledge of Tahoe Ski World, no U.S. ski resort had to shut down this season due to the pandemic. Despite the COVID restrictions and many people’s natural inclination to stay away from any place that draws a crowd, Sugar Bowl has seen an upsurge in skier visits following the Christmas holidays.
“Yes, we have seen strong visitation during the second half of the season. Compliance with our policies has been consistent all season and mirrored what we expected,” said Sugar Bowl spokesperson Jon Slaughter. “People want to get out and enjoy the mountain. Our policies are simple to follow and guests are more than willing so they can ski and snowboard our uncrowded slopes.”
TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSING DATES
- Sugar Bowl: April 18
- Diamond Peak: April 18
- Soda Springs: April 18
- Northstar: April 18
- Heavenly: April 18
- Boreal: April 18
- Mt. Rose: April 18
- Granlibakken: TBA
- Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows: May 31
- Tahoe Donner: closed
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: closed
- Kirkwood: closed
- Homewood: closed
