Ever wonder what happens at Palisades Tahoe during the summer months?
You might think it’s mostly quiet time for the infrastructure and employees other than the Aerial Tram summer offering and the shopping, dining, activities and events in The Village at Palisades Tahoe. But the reality is quite the opposite, especially at a resort as big and complex as Palisades Tahoe.
Summer is when the behind-the-scenes work begins to prepare for winter operations and Opening Day on November 26. The to-do list is long, and if you ask us, pretty fascinating.
Keeping a resort of this size running is truly a year-round job. Between the Base to Base Gondola, Aerial Tram, Funitel, 32 chairlifts, and multiple surface lifts, our lift maintenance team of 80 people spend the entire summer inspecting, servicing, and replacing critical equipment.
Think the snowmaking team heads to the beach once the snow melts? Not quite. They’re busy maintaining nearly 40 miles of snowmaking pipe and more than 450 snowmaking hydrants, each requiring comprehensive inspections along with pipe, valve, and handle integrity checks.
So what exactly happens when the snow melts? Here’s a look at what our teams are working on behind the scenes to get Palisades Tahoe ready for another incredible winter season.
Lift Maintenance
Palisades Tahoe has one of North America’s largest and most diverse lift networks, and it takes an entire summer to complete the work required on every lift.
This year, we’re replacing the haul rope on KT-22. We also completely disassemble, inspect, replace wearable items, and rebuild 20% of our fleet of carriers (that’s the actual chairs and cabins you ride on and in) every summer.
Our crews climb every lift tower to inspect all pieces of equipment and replace/repair as needed. In short, every moving part on every lift is thoroughly inspected, serviced, tested, and prepared for another busy winter.
The Funitel
The Funitel is also receiving some major attention this summer. Crews are currently working on Tower 4, where large lift components are being removed by crane so they can be fully disassembled, inspected, and rebuilt. Once that work is complete, the team will move on to Tower 5 before beginning another major project in the lower terminal to replace a key gearbox assembly. It’s all part of the extensive maintenance that helps keep one of the resort’s most important lifts operating safely and reliably for seasons to come.
The Aerial Tram
While the Aerial Tram is busy carrying guests to High Camp all summer long (and remember, all pass holders ride free), we’ll also be completing important maintenance work this fall.
The Tram will close earlier than normal this fall, on September 8, so crews can replace the haul rope (the center cable), perform a carriage overhaul, and potentially install new hangers for both cabins to keep this iconic lift operating at its best.
The Base to Base Gondola
The Base to Base Gondola crew is busy performing cabin maintenance and annual tower inspections, including lifting the rope, spinning sheaves, inspecting and testing tower components, greasing and replacing sheaves, and checking every fastener connection along the 2.4-mile route.
Inside each terminal, crews are servicing the drive and tensioning systems, inspecting brakes and sensors, and completing preventative maintenance to ensure everything is ready for another winter of seamless operation.
Snowmaking
At Palisades, we’re replacing snowmaking lines and snow guns from Mombo Meadows to Riviera, installing 2,200 feet of new pipe along with new fan guns. We’re also enhancing the snowmaking system on Exhibition, particularly around the mid-station.
In addition, we’re continuing work on water development and exploration by drilling new wells and building on last year’s automation improvements. By monitoring water flow more effectively, we’re maximizing the efficiency of both our water and energy use while improving overall snowmaking performance.
At Alpine, we’re modifying the system installed on Red Trail so we can make snow across a larger area from a single gun placement. We’re also completing a new compressor installation that will further improve system efficiency.
These upgrades and ongoing modernization efforts continue to lay the groundwork for future expansion of our snowmaking system. A dedicated team of nine people, working alongside our construction crews, is focused on ensuring we’re ready for Opening Day with a snowmaking system that supports quality conditions well into spring.
Grooming
This summer we added a second PistenBully e+600 to the fleet, which will operate at Alpine. It joins a grooming fleet of more than 50 snowcats, including two of these state-of-the-art diesel-electric machines.
Our summer grooming team of three is focused on revegetation, erosion control, and ensuring best practices for all on-mountain heavy equipment work.
Meanwhile, our vehicle maintenance department is servicing everything from snowcats and ATVs to snowmobiles. There’s no shortage of tire rotations, brake inspections, lubrication, oil changes, filter replacements, and preventative maintenance underway.
Revegetation & Trails
The reveg and trail crew has stayed busy with a large project on the lower mountain. Centered around Snow King, the project is improving both the long-term health of the forest and the skiing and snowboarding experience by creating better connections between Resort Chair and Red Dog terrain. By thoughtfully managing the forest and selectively removing unhealthy or overcrowded trees, crews are improving skier flow, reducing wildfire fuels, and giving healthy trees more room and resources to thrive. Not only does this work improve the on-mountain experience, it also helps protect and strengthen the landscape for years to come. This behind-the-scenes investment benefits both the mountain itself and every skier and rider who explores it.
Patrol
Patrol remains active year-round, with a dedicated crew focused on tree work, revegetation, improving on-mountain signage, and the marquee project this summer is maintaining and expanding our avalanche mitigation systems. It’s one of the most exciting projects and includes a state-of-the-art expansion of our avalanche mitigation program. We’re not quite ready to share the details but stay tuned—we’ll have more to announce in the coming weeks. Patrol is also installing new snow fencing to preserve snowpack in areas that areas that wind and sun effected in the springtime. Patrol also supports many lift maintenance projects with rock work and construction.
Looking Ahead
While much of the work happens on the mountain, just as much is happening behind the scenes. Teams across the resort are planning, preparing, and building everything you’ll experience this winter.
The bottom line? You’re going to want to be ready.
Lock in your 2026/27 Ikon Pass, grab a 4-Pack, or explore one of our flexible midweek options, including the Midweek 4-Pack or the new Midweek Season Pass. Today, 7/29/26 marks the final day to lock in this winter’s best deal and ski or ride for as low as $88 per day.
Enjoy the rest of summer, but don’t forget about what you love most. We’ll be back on the shred devices before you know it.
Just 121 days to go.
