Practically everyone has heard of the term white Christmas. But what about white Thanksgiving?
Thanks to some early-season snowfall and low evening temperatures, the Lake Tahoe menu will be serving a white Thanksgiving along with the traditional turkey dinner.
Take a bow Mother Nature! Snow over the past week and throughout the month has provided a huge boon to Tahoe ski resorts.
Operating lifts on Thanksgiving will be Heavenly, Northstar, Sugar Bowl, Palisades Tahoe, Boreal Mountain, Granlibakken and Mt. Rose, the first Tahoe ski resort to open (Nov. 8).
Two more ski resorts (Sierra-at-Tahoe, Soda Springs) are expected to open Friday (Nov. 29). One day later, Kirkwood kicks off its season.
There’s been some rain mixed in with snowy days this month, but it hasn’t appeared to stop skiers and riders from getting out to the slopes.
“The stoke was high and ski and ride season is officially back at Northstar,” Northstar spokesperson Ashlee Lambert said of the resort’s Nov. 21 opening. “We were thrilled to welcome guests back to our resort and hear all the hoots and hollers around the mountain as we all shook off the dust and rust to enjoy some early-season turns.”
SEE TAHOE SNOW REPORT BELOW
Palisades Tahoe woke up to 9 new inches of snow Tuesday morning (Nov. 26), bringing its early-season snow total to 56 inches. The resort started its 75th anniversary season with $75 lift tickets, a deal that lasts through Nov. 27.
“The snow today is tapering off slightly and we are expecting beautiful weather for the rest of this Thanksgiving week. With this new snow, our operations team is looking to expand terrain, so stay tuned,” Palisades spokesperson Madison Condon said.
Sugar Bowl after receiving the largest one-day total of snow (16 inches) in the Tahoe region earlier this season, the resort opened Nov. 22 with $39 lift tickets.
Sugar Bowl has received 38 inches of snow in the past week, bringing the season total to 59-65 inches. The resort opened the Jerome Hill Express and White Pine lifts, and the Flume Carpet. The two main runs open are Trailblazer and Pioneer.
Despite the positives of opening early, skiers and riders need to remember that danger is lurking. Sugar Bowl offered a good message that all skiers and snowboarders should adhere to this time of year.
“Respect all (terrain) closures. Early season conditions exist,” a message on the Sugar Bowl website said last week. “Please ski and ride with care. It’s a long season and there are lots of rocks, stumps and shrubs just under the surface.”
Boreal opened its 60th season Nov. 22 by offering $25 lift tickets for everyone. The only Tahoe ski resort to offer night skiing and riding, this year Boreal is featuring a new LED lighting system to enhance its evenings on the slopes.
Boreal’s opening day hours and subsequent days will be 9 am to 8 pm.
TAHOE SNOW REPORT, OPENINGS
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: 12
- Palisades Tahoe: 9 inches
- Mt. Rose: 8 inches
- Northstar California: 6 inches
- Heavenly: 3 inches
- Sugar Bowl: 3 inches
- Boreal: Friday: 3 inches
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: Opening Nov. 29
- Granlibakken: Opening Nov. 29
- Soda Springs: Opening Nov. 29
- Kirkwood: Opening Nov. 30
- Diamond Peak: Opening Dec. 6
- Tahoe Donner: Opening Dec. 6
- Homewood – Closed for the season
