Cornology 101

Here at Palisades Tahoe we like to cultivate perfect corn snow on the Sierra crest. What is corn snow?

Corn is a type of snow that forms after warm daytime temperatures and freezing temperatures overnight, resulting in large round snow grains resembling a kernel of corn.

In order to farm the perfect corn skiing, we close specific terrain after new snow and right before warm spring conditions to allow the terrain to “cook.” This will allow our snow to get into a good freeze-thaw cycle and maximize high-quality skiing in these areas. For the days following, we open the terrain first thing after a good freeze and close it just before skis start putting ruts in the snow surface. This results in incredible skiing on legendary corn that may last for weeks. Many of the hikes at Alpine close for this exact reason.

Here’s what you can do to help:

1. Stay out of closed terrain (You will lose your pass.)

2. Do not skin in bounds (We have a no uphill traffic policy.)

3. Communicate this information to your friends so we can enjoy this perfect corn together!