Tahoe Ski Season Begins

Hello skiers and riders: The slopes are now open in the Sierra!

Tahoe ski resorts will be open for business by Thanksgiving thanks to recent snow storms and cold-enough conditions that allowed for even more man-made snow-making.

The Sierra mountains have received several feet of snow in the past month and there are two more storms headed that way before the holiday.

NBC Bay Area meteorologist Jeff Ranieri said the storms will hit Friday and late Sunday. He says they are not as strong as earlier storms, but will bring several more inches of new snow to the higher elevations.

Even ahead of the holiday weekend, Heavenly and Northstar opened for skiers and snow boarders. People lined up at the Gondola line at Heavenly under sunny skies Wednesday morning for the first runs of the year. 

It’s going to be a white Thanksgiving,” said Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association.

"Opening a couple days earlier than planned may not seem like a big difference to the casual observer,” said Heavenly GM Pete Sonntag. “But the effort and commitment to the guest experience that this early opening demonstrates is what Heavenly is all about. We’ll do whatever it takes to deliver the highest level experience for our guests.”
 
Sonntag says even though there isn't a lot of terrain open right now, what he has open is "really good."

Here are the opening dates as we know them:

  • Heavenly Mountain Resort: Wednesday, November 14th
  • Northstar California Resort: Wednesday, November 14th
  • Kirkwood Mountain Resort: Friday, November 16th
  • Squaw Valley: Friday, November 16th
  • Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe: Wednesday, November 21st
  • Sierra-at-Tahoe: Thursday, November 22nd (conditions permitting)
  • Alpine Meadows: Friday, December 7th (earlier opening possible, conditions permitting)
Contact Us