A POW DAY in early May with this much snow? Highly unusual.
But that’s the case Sunday morning (May 5) when excited skiers and snowboarders quickly lined up at Palisades Tahoe, where a whopping 2-plus feet (26 inches) fell on the Tahoe ski resort following a sizable storm that hit the region all day Saturday.
“According to Mother Nature, the saying now goes – ‘April showers bring May POWDER.’ For the first time in recent history, the National Weather Service in Reno issued a Winter Storm Warning in May,” wrote Palisades Tahoe spokesperson Madison Condon. “Over 2 feet of snow dump down on Palisades Tahoe in May is just a testament to the Sierra storms we experience here.”
Palisades Tahoe is the only Tahoe ski resort still running its lifts seven days a week with a projected closing date of Memorial Day (May 27). This storm pushes the resort’s season snowfall total to 423 inches, which is above the average yearly snowfall of 400 inches.
It was a record-setting day for the 2023-24 ski season, according to the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab. Sunday morning, the snow lab was reporting 26.4 inches of snow over the last 24 hours at its Donner Pass research field station. The previous record came March 3 – 23.8 inches.
The fresh powder didn’t go unnoticed by local skiers and riders. At least a 1oo skiers reportedly packed Palisades Tahoe to take advantage of the fresh powder, forming a line to the lifts that some observers said appeared to stretch for nearly a mile.
“Our teams are hard at work this morning getting the mountain ready for one of the best May powder days in recent memory. But some patience will be required as we do expect delayed openings,” Condon said. “It’s one of the best May powder days in recent memory.”
The only negative regarding Saturday’s snow storm was a popular annual event was postponed. The Cushing Crossing pond skimming event has been pushed back to May 11. The event is in its 38th annual year and is the Tahoe region’s original pond skim event. Click here for Cushing Crossing information, including signups.
HEAVENLY’S TOM FORTUNE STEPPING DOWN: Heavenly Mountain Resort has announced the retirement of its current Chief Operating Officer and Vice President – Tom Fortune – effective June 23.
After 45 years in the industry, Fortune will pass the baton to his successor, Shaydar Edelmann, who returns to Tahoe with 25 years of industry experience, most recently serving as the Vice President of Mountain Operations at Park City Mountain.
Fortune joined Vail Resorts in 2010 as Director of Base Area Operation at Heavenly – a role he held for six years. In 2016, he became Director of Mountain Operations at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, and two years later, he took on the role of General Manager and Vice President there.
In 2019, Fortune was appointed GM and VP at Heavenly, later becoming COO of the resort and the Tahoe Region – with oversight of Northstar California and Kirkwood – in 2022.
Fortune also led through the Caldor Fire in 2021 at Heavenly and Kirkwood during mandatory evacuations and supported firefighting efforts by galvanizing his team to set up a base camp for First Responders, leveraging Heavenly’s California Base Area and snowmaking equipment.
“I am forever grateful to the amazing people I have had the honor of working with over the last 45 years – I have learned and grown, and my success is not mine alone, but shared with everyone I’ve ever crossed paths with. Thank you to the teams at Heavenly, Kirkwood, Northstar, and Stevens Pass for 14 amazing years,” Fortune said.
Edelmann brings more than two decades of experience to the role, having served the last four years as VP of Mountain Operations at Park City. As the Mountain Operations leader at the U.S.’s largest and most complex ski resort.
He managed a team of more than 700 employees through the challenges of COVID and unprecedented snowfall. He also played a key role in reimagining chairlift optimization across Vail Resorts and helped plan and permit upcoming transformational lift and snowmaking upgrades at the resort.
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