Industry News
Homewood Mountain Resort, California, ended its 2025-26 ski season yesterday, becoming the latest California resort to succumb to a March heatwave that is rapidly melting an already poor Sierra Nevada snowpack.
The Tahoe resort cited forecast highs in the 70s beginning Wednesday and extending through the weekend as the primary reason for the closure. The mountain’s summit holds just 17 inches of base depth, 33% of the average for this time of year, after just 245 inches of total snowfall this season.
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“Mother Nature always gets the final word in the mountains, and this season she’s calling it a little early. The safety of our guests and employees is always our top priority, and the safest option is to close today.”
– Homewood Mountain Resort social media statement
The closure marks the end of an already difficult season for Homewood. A dry December forced the resort to delay its opening to New Year’s Eve weekend, cutting nearly a full month from its operational calendar. The 1,200-acre ski area had also sat completely dormant during the 2024-25 season while awaiting approval for its updated redevelopment plan, raising concerns among locals about the mountain’s future as a public-access resort. A planned new gondola, central to that redevelopment, remains unfinished and is not expected to be completed until later this year.
Homewood is not alone. Mt. Shasta Ski Park, California’s northernmost ski area, ended its season after just 55 operating days, five short of its 60-day season guarantee to passholders. Dodge Ridge Mountain Resort suspended operations Sunday, March 15, citing unseasonably warm conditions. On Tuesday, Sierra-at-Tahoe announced that its 79th season will conclude this Sunday, March 22, with resort officials noting that near-record temperatures have accelerated snowmelt across the mountain.
California’s snowpack sits at 48% of normal statewide, with conditions significantly worse in the northern Sierra, where levels have dropped to just 28% of the historical average. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is at its leanest since 2015, according to California Department of Water Resources data.
A massive storm in early February briefly gave hope and temporarily transformed the Sierra, producing some of the season’s best skiing conditions, but rain followed quickly, erasing those gains almost as fast as they arrived.
Despite the difficult season, Homewood expressed optimism about what lies ahead. Season passes for 2026-27 are already on sale.
“Our community is the heart of this mountain. We are already counting down the days until we can welcome you back next winter.”
– Homewood Mountain Resort statement
