Happy Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air—and so is the snow! Since Wednesday night, a flurry of frosted snowflakes has dropped 31 inches on our upper mountain, and it’s still coming down. By tonight, we could see up to 10 more inches stacking up. Earlier this week, we opened Silverado, making our resort 100% open—that’s 6,000 acres of pure, rippable terrain. With fresh snow, endless terrain to explore, and an electric energy building for the weekend, it’s time to grab your gear and get after it!
Weather
Snow is falling throughout today but should diminish by tonight, bringing up to 10″ inches of snow to close this storm out. On Saturday we should see mostly sunny skies with highs in the 30s and 40s. Sunday and Monday there is a chance for a few scattered showers from the southern edge of storms with the potential for higher winds.
On Tuesday we should see another break with sunny skies and highs in the 40s. There is another chance we could get brushed with some scattered precipitation on Wednesday. For a more in-depth weather look check out the blog by Open Snow’s Bryan Allegretto.
Conditions
Dare I say POWDER is on the menu! With this storm rolling in close to freezing levels some of the fallen snow is a heavy and wet powder on top of a firm crust. Pay attention to these deep snow safety tips, including but not limited to:
- Always ski and ride with a buddy
- Carry a beacon transceiver and rescue equipment and know how to use them.
- Avoid tree wells
- If you are going to fall, attempt to do so feet first
When it comes to riding safely, another one of my favorite tips is to download the Palisades Tahoe app. It makes wayfinding the resort easy so you can stay within your ability level. The app has real-time updates on lift and terrain openings as well as estimated wait times. You can track your friends on the mountain and always re-group if you get separated while carving through the trees. Not to mention it keeps track of your vertical feet so you can go brag to your friends about the number of times you skied Granite Chief.
Operations
As with all new snowfall, it takes time for our mountain operations teams to dig out chairlifts and ramps, groom runs, and perform snow safety mitigation. High winds and low visibility make all of this even more challenging. This morning Alpine was experiencing power outage issues, and teams are currently working to reenergize the power lines. Once the power is restored, Alpine will open.
For the upcoming holiday weekend of 2/15-2/17, the goal is to open every chairlift throughout the resort, weather and conditions permitting. There may be some delays in opening due to the fresh snow. For Silverado, it may take us some time to re-build the access road so there is a chance it will not open this Saturday.
To stay up-to-date on our forecasted lifts for the following day, you can check our app or the Palisades Tahoe website at 5:30 p.m. when we update our projections for operations.
Silverado Opening
Are you Silverado? Because you’ve got my heart racing! The fabled, sought-after Silverado opened on Wednesday, February 12 for the first time this season, making Palisades Tahoe 100% open. Silverado is one of the most challenging chairlifts to open as we need enough snow to build the Oregon Trail to the bottom of the lift which sits at 6,808′ feet.
While it is exciting that we opened this terrain, it cannot be emphasized enough that Silverado houses some of our most extreme terrain across the entire resort. If you choose to ski in this area, pay attention to all signage and ski and ride within your ability level at all times. There are cliffs, chutes and lots of other obstacles that you should be aware of.
For a more in-depth dive on what it takes to open Silverado, check out this blog by Liz Worgan.
Mountain Surf Report with Jeremy Jones
Parking
For this holiday period 2/15-2/17, free reservations are sold out. We recommend carpooling as a great way to make sure all your friends get to the mountain to ride together. As a reminder, parking reservations are required every weekend and select holiday periods. Unless it is a holiday period, midweek parking remains free and first come, first served. 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
