Thanks to some “beary” unusual occurrence, two lifts at Palisades Tahoe were recently shut down for the day.
Closing the lifts and the surrounding area was certainly justified. A large bear was seen in the Granite Chief area and Palisades Tahoe officials wisely closed the lift for the day (Sunday, April 7). The resort also choose to close Emigrant Lift as well.
A notification announcing the temporary closure of Granite Chief from the Palisades Tahoe’s mobile app confused skiers. Conditions were prime for safe spring skiing, but Palisades Tahoe Mountain Manager Jimmy King decided to close the area after spotting a bear near the top of the Granite Chief lift.
CHECK OUT TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSING DATES BELOW
King initially spotted the bear near the peak, “looking curiously at people and the garbage bin at the top.” Rather than take any unnecessary risks, King acted quickly to shut down Granite Chief and nearby Emigrant Lift.
Ski patrol then performed a sweep of the area to ensure the safety of the skiers and the bear itself. Emigrant and Granite Chief remained closed for the rest of the day, but were available for skiers and riders by Monday (April 8 ).
A Palisades Tahoe official noted that it’s the resort’s policy to close terrain when a bear or other wildlife are present, but this bear was particularly worrisome due to the tag on its ear.
“Jimmy King said an off-duty patroller saw the bear near the peak and looking curiously at people and the garbage bin at the top. Jimmy immediately made the decision to close the lift and close Emigrant as well as sweep the area, so none of the general public would be near the bear,” said Palisades Tahoe spokesperson Patrick Lacey. “Everyone has been told to be on the watch for our furry friend again today.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife regularly captures, tags, relocates, and hazes “problem” bears from towns around Lake Tahoe.
Sunday was a fairly busy day on the mountain with prime spring skiing conditions and the final day of the Winter Wondergrass music festival. Shutting down two upper mountain lifts wasn’t ideal, but the resort prioritized safety.
While the presence of bears is a rare occurrence, it does happen. Earlier this ski season, a young bear was seen scampering across a run at Heavenly ski resort in South Lake Tahoe. The bear appeared anxious to regroup with its family, which was close by where the incident took place.
- TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSING DATES
- Tahoe Donner: April 7
- Boreal: April 14
- Soda Springs: April 14
- Northstar: April 14
- Homewood: April 14
- Granlibakken: April 15
- Diamond Peak: April 21
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: April 21
- Heavenly: April 21
- Sugar Bowl: April 28
- Kirkwood: April 28
- Mt. Rose: April 28
- Palisades Tahoe: May 27
