Like many Tahoe ski resorts, Palisades Tahoe has moved up its opening day for the 2022-23 season.
The popular resort in Truckee will stage its opening Friday, Nov. 18. Palisades Tahoe received 39 inches of snow over a week-long period, including 18 inches Tuesday (Nov. 9).
“Snow has most definitely changed our (opening day) plans,” a Palisades website blog stated. “Not only will we be opening four days early, but we’ll be opening with upper mountain terrain.”
The Funitel will be running to access the upper mountain, but note the Mountain Run will not be open. Palisades lifts will include Gold Coast and beginner Snoventures. Terrain park features will likely be unavailable, but the resort hopes to add a few the following week during the Thanksgiving holidays.
Operating hours will be 9 am to 4 pm, with plans for daily operation, weather and conditions permitting. Palisades expects more terrain to open due to its snowmaking capability. The Alpine Meadows side of the mountain still has an opening date of Nov. 22, weather and conditions permitting.
The main rental shop in the Palisades Tahoe Village will be open. The resort is still deciding whether to offer lessons opening day. However, it expects that Palisades Kids program will not open until Nov. 22 and is aiming to have snowtubing available by Thanksgiving. New this year is a shuttle service running between the base Red Dog chairlift and the Palisades Village.
TAHOE RESORT OPENINGS: Both Mt. Rose in Nevada and Boreal Mountain opened Friday (Nov. 11). The three Vail Resorts in Lake Tahoe – Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood – will open Saturday (Nov. 12).
Early season terrain will be accessible at the Vail Resorts, listed below.
- Northstar Lifts: Big Springs Gondola will open at 8:30 am with Vista, Arrow and Big Easy starting at 9 am.
- Heavenly Lifts: Tram, Gunbarrel, Patsy’s and Powderbowl will open at 8:30 am.
- Kirkwood Lifts: Chair 5 (Solitude) will open at 9 am.
The Vail Resorts pushed up the Heavenly and Northstar openings by almost a week and Kirkwood wasn’t scheduled to open until Dec. 2.
“We are thrilled to welcome skiers and riders back to Heavenly, Northstar, and Kirkwood for the upcoming season even earlier than we anticipated,” said Tom Fortune, VP & COO of Heavenly and the Tahoe Region. “Mother Nature came through for us, allowing natural snowfall to fly and pile up while also giving us the temperatures needed for our snowmakers to do their best work.”
Mt. Rose will have top-to-bottom skiing and riding available from 9 am to 4 pm Friday through Sunday from the resort’s Main Lodge. Lifts likely to be operating include the Northwest Express and the Wizard beginner lifts, offering access to most of the beginner, intermediate and some advanced terrain on the Main Lodge side of the mountain.
Mt. Rose will be closed mid-week – Nov. 14-18 – so workers can finish the new Lakeview Express chairlift. The ski resort expects to reopen for daily operations Saturday, Nov. 19.
ADDITIONAL OPENINGS: Central California ski resort Dodge Ridge opened Friday, debuting its new Triple Nugget Chairlift 1, which was installed this summer. It’s the resort’s earliest opening in 20 years.
Dodge Ridge will also have Chairlifts 3, 5 and lessons on the Magic Carpet this weekend. The resort will work to open the Prospector Chairlift 7 for weekend operations, if possible.
A favorite location for families, Granlibakken will open its sizable sledding hill this weekend. Located in Tahoe City along Highway 89, historic Granlibakken is a secluded resort close to many Tahoe ski resorts that is sheltered in the Sierra Nevada pine trees at 6,350 feet.
Although skiing is currently not available, Granlibakken received 30 inches from this week’s storm, making for an excellent weekend for sledding.
TAHOE RESORT OPENING DATES
- Mt. Rose: Nov. 11
- Boreal: Nov. 11
- Northstar: Nov. 12
- Heavenly: Nov. 12
- Kirkwood: Nov. 12
- Palisades: Nov. 18
- Sugar Bowl: Nov. 25
- Diamond Peak: Dec. 8
- Tahoe Donner: Dec. 9
- Granlibakken: NA, Dec. 18
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: TBA
- Soda Springs: TBA
- Homewood: TBA
