We have now received over 9 FEET of snow since January 1st! We think this means it’s okay for us to start using #JanuBuried again. We’ve had very few pockets of clear weather this week, but this endless snow is amazing: We surpassed 300 inches of season-to-date snowfall yesterday, and we have over 100 inches of snow in January alone. This amount of precipitation also comes with its own set of challenges, such as low visibility and avalanche danger — and some shockingly cool footage!
Photo above was taken by Marcus Morgan, Lift Maintenance Manager, on Siberia.
Behind The Scenes
It has been snowy and windy with SUPER low visibility. Even during some of the brief periods of clear skies we saw over last weekend, winds whipped at High Camp, often topping over 100mph. If you’re curious about what factors are considered before we place a chairlift on wind hold, check out this Operations Blog from the 2021-22 season that has a deep dive on wind holds at Palisades Tahoe.
We could keep explaining, but the best way to understand what these storms are truly like out on the mountain is to SEE them. Here is some of the best footage our Operations Crews captured this week:
LIFT MAINTENANCE
GROOMING
PATROL + MOUNTAIN MANAGEMENT
Weather Outlook
This weekend is going to be SNOWY. Road conditions and travel are going to be impacted. We recommend you review our Road Conditions page for tips on what resources to check and how to prepare for a snowy holiday weekend in the Sierra. Monday — a popular travel day — will be especially affected by winter conditions.
By Sunday morning we could see additional snowfall amounts of:
- 13-19 inches at the base
- 19-25 inches at mid-mountain elevations
- 23-29 inches up top
By early Tuesday morning, we could see an additional 6-18 inches of new snow, and 2-day storm totals of:
- 14-21 inches at the base
- 18-24 inches at mid-mountain elevations
- 22-28 inches up top
Stay up-to-date by checking Bryan Allegretto’s weather blog.
Red Dog
Red Dog chairlift will be opening on Sunday, January 15th! The new Red Dog lift is a serious upgrade:
- 5-minute lift ride
- 50% more uphill capacity
- 250 feet from the parking lot (much closer than before!)
After nearly nine months of construction, testing, and training in some formidable conditions, we could not be more stoked to make this part of the mountain accessible again, and we are so grateful to our crews who have been out in snow, rain, ice, and wind to get this lift open.
Video by Blake Kessler
Lift + Terrain Updates
- SURPRISE: Far East opened on Tuesday for the first time this season!
- All upper mountain lifts are expected to have weather impacts throughout the weekend.
- We have built the access road for Silverado and will keep it maintained throughout this cycle. We hope to have an update on this area after the next series of storms.
A Note on Headwall
We know everybody is wondering about Headwall. We love Headwall as much as you do and we want to get it running ASAP. Headwall takes a full day of setup after a storm cycle and we have not had a long enough break in weather to get this lift open; By the time we break it free, dig it out, and get it spinning, another band of weather has moved in. We are starting to see drier patterns further out in the forecast, and Headwall will be a top priority when weather allows.
Photo taken by Jimmy King, Mountain Manager at Palisades.
WANT THIS BLOG TO COME TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX?
Sign up for our Mountain Operations email list, and we’ll send this blog directly to you every time we have an update. We’ll share another update soon. Sign up here.
HOW ELSE CAN I STAY UP-TO-DATE THIS SEASON?
We’ll arm you with all the information you need to plan the perfect ski day any day this winter. Bookmark these pages:
Not wanting to check the website constantly? Try these other methods:
- Follow our Mountain Operations Twitter account
- Sign up for the Palisades Tahoe Ski & Ride Report (Weather Blogs + Conditions Blogs are included here)
- Download the Palisades Tahoe App
Do you have any requests for this season’s Operations Blogs? Topics you’d like to see covered or information you think is missing? Send us an email at chatter@palisadestahoe.com with your feedback. We have received a lot of messages lately, and we are getting back to you one by one. Thanks for being patient!
