Sadly, spring skiing started early this season at Tahoe ski resorts and will end prematurely.
The weather has felt more like May than March in Lake Tahoe and all ski resorts have been majorly impacted by the conditions, evidenced by numerous resort closings in March and many others pushing up their closing date due to the deteriorating conditions.
SEE TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSING DATES BELOW
This week, two more Tahoe ski resorts announced closures earlier than expected. Northstar California has pushed up its closing date one week to Sunday, April 5. Traditionally staying open until the last week in May, Palisades Tahoe is shutting down many lifts early and expects to be closing sometime in April.
On Friday, Sugar Bowl announced it would be closing April 5. In nearby Nevada, Mt. Rose is hoping to stay open as long as possible.
“Mt. Rose is still pushing for a closing day later in April (beyond the 12th) with the exact date to be determined,” Mt. Rose spokesperson Mike Pierce said Friday morning.
New Sugar Bowl Schedule: The resort, located off Interstate 80 at the Norden exit, announced it will be closed Monday through Wednesday (April 1) this week as a storm moves through. The system is expected to start as rain before turning to snow.
Sugar Bowl will reopen Thursday and remain open until its final weekend that concludes April 5. Among the available lifts are Mt. Disney, Nob Hill and Mt. Lincoln (conditions permitting),. The weekend will include mountainside celebrations.
There are currently five Tahoe ski resorts that are already closed (Homewood, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Tahoe Donner, Soda Springs, Granlibakken) and a sixth resort – Diamond Peak – will end its season Sunday (March 29).
Reno and South Lake Tahoe have both experienced seven straight days of record or tied record temperature highs, according to the National Weather Service in Reno. South Lake Tahoe set a new March record of 76 degrees March 18.
The rapid snow melt is not limited to Tahoe. California’s statewide snowpack was about 27% of normal as of Tuesday (March 24), according to the weather service, and could approach record lows by April 1.
“A melt of this rate is a big deal any time, but in March it’s unheard of,” said Mike Hittle, a hydrologist at the California-Nevada River Forecast Center.
Although Northstar’s planned closing date has moved up, Vail Resorts officials said Friday that Heavenly and Kirkwood, both on the Epic Pass, plan to stay open until April 19.
“Our goal throughout this period of warm weather has been to offer skiing and riding for our guests as long as it is safely possible. We commend the hard work of our teams for getting us this far in challenging, warm conditions.” said Tara Schoedinger, Vice President & General Manager of Northstar.
Palisades Tahoe Update: The resort said it was operating 16 lifts and about 30% of its trails, or roughly 1,800 acres. Its mid-mountain coverage is about a 4-foot base, but lower elevations are fading fast.
An expert run that’s loved by advanced skiers and snowboarders, KT-22 has already closed for the season and the top-to-bottom Mountain Run is no longer available.
California’s largest ski resort said this week it expects to shut down weeks earlier than planned due to the unusually warm March weather temperatures that has tremendously impacted all Tahoe ski resorts.
Palisades is due to close in late April, which is roughly a month ahead of schedule.
“For Palisades Tahoe, we do not have a specific closing date because we are committed to going as long as conditions allow,” resort spokesperson Patrick Lacey said Friday morning.
Popular Palisades Tahoe lifts that are closed for the season, including Headwall, Red Dog, Resort Chair, and Granite Chief.
The news is also bleak regarding the Alpine side of the mountain where Lakeview, Meadow, Subway, Sherwood Express and Treeline Cirque are all closed for the season. The Alpine side is closing Sunday (March 29).
According to the Alpine blog, Sunday’s closing will mark “the shortest season in Alpine Meadows history” at 93 days and “the earliest closing date ever” for the ski area.
Historically the final Tahoe ski resort to shut down its lifts, the former Squaw Valley resort closed on Memorial Day (May 26) a year ago and also made Memorial Day its last day of skiing and riding in 2024.
And thanks to a record 723 inches of snowfall in the amazing 2023 ski season, Palisades Tahoe stayed open until Fourth of July. However, keeping the lifts running this season beyond April is extremely unlikely.
“We do not have a specific closing date because we are committed to going as long as conditions allow,” the resort said.
CLOSING TIME
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
- Boreal: April 5
- Northstar: April 5
- Sugar Bowl: April
- Heavenly: April 19
- Kirkwood: April 19
- Mt. Rose: TBD
- Palisades Tahoe: TBD
