Yesterday, winds picked up in the afternoon and evening, a harbinger of the extreme weather to come. Waking up on this first day of December, we were greeted with a light dusting of snow. Just an inch or so on the mountain was reported around 5am. Since then, snowfall has been steady, as have the strong gusts of wind.
RECAP: Dec 1st at PALISADES
From 6:30am onward, patrol and lift maintenance crews were on the mountain assessing winds and conditions. Around 7:19am, the decision was made to start the day off with the Aerial Tram, Gold Coast, and the Funitel on a wind hold. We expected that these lifts were unlikely to open at all today, and around 10am, the call was made to pull them from the schedule. First Ventures, Resort Chair, and Kaya carpet opened at 9am as planned. By 1:25pm, Resort Chair had closed due to wind and extremely low visibility.
RECAP: Dec 1st at ALPINE
At 7:11am, Yellow went on wind hold, followed quickly by Roundhouse at 7:16am. Treeline Cirque and the Big Carpet opened as expected at 9am. At 1:36pm, we pulled Roundhouse and Yellow chairs off the schedule for the remainder of the day due to deteriorating conditions. Around the same time, we closed Alpine Meadows Rd to perform avalanche mitigation. This work took about an hour.
WEATHER OUTLOOK
To get the most detailed weather information, you’ll want to read our near-daily blog from Bryan Allegretto of OpenSnow. This morning, he laid out the following forecast for us:
- Thursday: Sustained ridgetop wind gusts of over 100mph throughout the day. Expected snowfall of 10 to 15 inches at the base and 15-25 inches on the upper mountains.
- Friday: Clear and sunny. Yes, this is going to be a powder day. Yes, it’s going to be awesome. It also might be a little busy. We’ll talk more about this in a minute.
- Saturday: Operations may be affected. A storm is expected to roll in and continue through Monday morning, and it could drop up to an additional 3 feet of snow on the upper mountains.
TERRAIN EXPANSION PLANS
Our goal is to open as much terrain as possible in the quickest and safest manner allowed. When we have an incoming storm such as this one, it requires us to do a full breakdown of the mountain. We pull all rope, fencing, bamboo, and impermanent signage off the hill, and our groomers track pack as much as they can. (Track packing is driving the grooming machines without the tiller down).
As this blog is being written, a team of groomers is out there now working on both the terrain we have open like Gold Coast, and the terrain that has yet to open, like Shirley and parts of Roundhouse. Track packing actually helps us capture drifting snow, so we are doing it everywhere we can. We can’t do it in areas where we might turn up dirt, as dirt is dark in color and can lead to faster snowmelt. Our grooming team will be working in multiple shifts over the next 24 hours track packing, grooming runs, and maintaining access roads. Thank you, grooming crew!
When the storm clears, our day will begin early, often by 5am if not earlier. Our dispatchers take their places in our command centers, our patrollers gear up, and Funitel or Tram operators and lift maintenance personnel prepare for the day. Patrol teams are some of the first to head up the mountain. They access the upper mountain terrain in different ways: sometimes they are brought up in a troop carrier (a grooming machine that can hold a large number of people) and sometimes they utilize the Aerial Tram or the Funitel. Tomorrow, they’ll likely take the Funitel at Palisades, and will access Alpine’s terrain via chairlift. Once out on the mountain, avalanche control is the first order of business, designating areas of safe passage. Depending on the amount of snowfall we receive, this can take a significant amount of time.
Palisades Terrain Expansion
- Tomorrow (Friday 12/2) we plan to run the same lifts: Resort Chair, Gold Coast, the Funitel, the Aerial Tram, and SnoVentures with the ability to ski down Mountain Run.
- You cannot ski back to The Village from Resort Chair right now. From 8:30am to 4pm, buses will run from Palisades to Alpine (and vice versa) with a stop at Resort at Sq**w Creek to drop-off/pick-up guests. We expect to be able to add ski-back access via Red Dog face by next week.
- We may be able to add Bailey’s Beach and Mountain Meadow on Friday if our grooming team can get there *and* if the winds haven’t wiped that area clean. If not by Friday, we should be able to add these chairs on Saturday.
- Shirley is very thin on the ridgeline and at the unload due to wind. We have teams working on moving snow around up there right now, and we likely will open Shirley on Monday.
- Siberia was even thinner than Shirley as of yesterday, with dirt exposed on the ridgeline. We are farming snow to build the top ramp and will be working on it throughout the course of this storm cycle. We expect to have Siberia open on Monday.
- Wa She Shu also needs snow farmed at the top terminal. Again, we will be working on this lift throughout the weekend and hope to open it on Monday.
- We are starting to get teams into the Belmont area. We are track packing tonight, but we need about 18 inches to be able to start putting features in there. We feel confident this storm will deliver that.
Alpine Terrain Expansion
- Tomorrow (12/2) we plan to run Treeline Cirque, Roundhouse, Yellow, and the Big Carpet.
- We likely will be able to add Meadow tomorrow (12/2). We are snowmaking in this area now in addition to the natural snowfall, but temperatures aren’t great. There is a chance Meadow will get pushed back to Saturday.
- Summit is next on the list for expansion with a goal of early next week. Similar to Shirley and Siberia, the ridgeline is impacted by winds.
- Tiegel currently has a few park features, but we are pulling these features tonight and track packing the area. We should have all features back in place by Saturday.
FAQs
Why is Far East Closed?
We cannot open Far East until the Red Dog chairs are hung and we have clearance. We are likely more than a week away from this still.
When will KT-22/Granite Chief/Silverado/Scott/Sherwood open?
We do not have ETAs for other lifts right now. WE WANT TO SKI THEM, TOO. We will post here *immediately* when we have an update. We appreciate your patience and please give your thanks to our crews who are out there working in this storm.
DON’T GIVE INTO POWDER PANIC. PLAN AHEAD.
Please make use of these quick and easy tips we put together just for you so that we all can get a piece of the pow. We will likely see some crowds, but it is going to be gorgeous weather and a fun day on Friday.
- Arrive early, between 6:30 and 8:30am. Use the parking lot status feature on the Palisades Tahoe App to see what lots are filling up. Don’t drive to a lot that is full, please. There won’t be space.
- Be aware of the construction zone. There will be a crane near Red Dog tomorrow working on the base terminal. Be mindful and obey all signage.
- If you have a lift ticket, 2-pack, or 4-pack, you can use one of our self-serve kiosks to print your ticket(s). No need to visit the ticket office. In The Village at Palisades Tahoe, our kiosks are located in the Funitel Plaza, in front of the Ticket & Pass Office, and inside the Aerial Tram building. At the Alpine Lodge, our kiosks are located in front of the ticket windows, near the breezeway. You need to have your confirmation email with the barcode to use the kiosks!
WANT THIS BLOG TO COME TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX?
You can now sign up for our Mountain Operations email list, and we’ll send this blog directly to you every time we have an update. Expect an update on 12/2 and another this weekend. 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, + Operations 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.
