Miracle March provided and snow has blasted Palisades Tahoe like the Kool-Aid Man! Since Wednesday morning, our upper mountain has been refreshed with 34 inches of snow and counting. We are now sitting at 301 inches of total snowfall for the season. While we have an open-door policy for snow, it is a big challenge and hurdle to our operations team, which works as efficiently as possible to get the lifts spinning and slopes open. Conditions are all time, and as Jonny Moseley says, “nipple-deep”, so we want to thank you for your patience as we work with Mother Nature to keep our mountain open and the pow-turns coming.
Weather
The snowglobe escapades continue through Friday, with winds forecasted to hit up to 70+mph on the ridgetops, and steady snowfall into the night. By Saturday morning, the storm should have cleared out and we could see another foot of snow up top. This weekend forecast shows partly sunny skies, with the potential for a few scattered showers and gusty conditions.
Don’t relax for too long, because the next round of snow starts Sunday night, and pushes well into Monday. There could be another TWO FEET of snow on the upper mountain by the end of the storm! For more information check out the weather blog by Open Snow’s Bryan Allegretto.
Conditions
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, and these photos leave me speechless. It is DEEP out there. The new snow is light and fluffy, and it fell on top of a firm base. In areas the snow has slid, you may find uncovered ice patches. With all new snow, it is imperative that you know deep snow safety if you are riding off-piste, ride with friends, stay in control, avoid tree wells, and carry your beacon transceivers.
Operations
Nobody gets more excited about fresh snowfall than our mountain operations teams. There is a ton of collaboration and teamwork that goes on between lift operations, lift maintenance, grooming, ski patrol, and all other departments. We strive to open as quickly and efficiently, but primarily as safely as possible.
It is no secret that this snowpack is active. There is a layer of snow between our base and the fresh powder that is unstable. Our patrol team has found that not only is the snow reacting more than normal, but it is also sliding in places it usually doesn’t. This is part of what has caused the longer delays in opening. We will continue to open as much terrain as possible, and we want to say a tremendous thank you for being patient while we do so.
As we are still in an active snow cycle it is tough to fully project what our lift offerings will be this weekend, but as of 11:20 am today, we have been able to open 19 lifts. The storm is projected to teeter off which should allow our mountain operations teams to catch up and open more of our terrain. For the weekend you can get the most up-to-date lift information on the Palisades Tahoe app or the Lift + Grooming Status webpage. We update both of these sources at 5:30 p.m. the previous day with the anticipated lift offerings.
Mountain Surf Report featuring Jonny Moseley
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Après Your Way
Powder skiing to Palisades partying, you can do it all this weekend. On Saturday, March 15, check out The Ski for MS Vertical Challenge, where you can hit the slopes with Jonny Moseley and carve out as many vertical feet as possible to fundraise for the Multiple Sclerosis Community.
Then check out the KT Bass Bar with DJ Mackswell, serving live beats and signature cocktails from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. And when the sun goes down, join the disco tubing party, filled with family-friendly music, lights, lasers, and more as you careen down our snow-tubing chutes.
Parking
For this weekend, our parking reservations are full. You can check the day of for any last-minute cancellations, otherwise you can get to the mountain in alternative ways. We recommend carpooling as a great way to make sure all your friends get to the mountain to ride together. If you are trying to get to the mountain without your personal vehicle, there are other free options: the Sherwood Shuttle, the Mountaineer Shuttle, which offers free rides in Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows, TART, and the free Park and Ride, available in both Truckee and Tahoe City with frequent rides between 6:30 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.
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HOW TO GET OPERATIONS UPDATES:
Bookmark these pages:
Not wanting to check the website constantly? Try these other methods:
- Follow our Mountain Operations X (formerly Twitter) account
- Sign up for the Palisades Tahoe Ski & Ride Report (Weather Blogs + Conditions Blogs are included here)
- Download the Palisades Tahoe App
