Industry News
In the past 24 hours, 14 inches of new snow have fallen on the upper mountain of Palisades Tahoe, California, and it has been snowing all morning. The resort has seen 52″ of fresh snow in February.
Another snowstorm is brewing in the Pacific and heading its way. Two low-pressure systems are set to approach the coast by Wednesday night. The larger system will draw Pacific moisture from north of Hawaii, bringing heavy precipitation from Thursday into Thursday night, followed by lingering showers into Friday. OpenSnow forecasts another 39″ of fresh snow in the next 10 days.
Palisades Tahoe has seen 192″ of snow this season and has a 111″ base.
With all the fresh snow on the way, there’s no better time to lock in iconic midweek turns at the best value. The Midweek 4-Pack lets you ski or ride for just $99/day—flexible, affordable, and perfect for your next mountain adventure!
Palisades Tahoe Operations Update for Friday, February 7
Written by Maddie Condon
Mother Nature came in strong this February, dropping a massive 53″ inches of snow at 8,000 feet in just the first week. That’s a staggering 270% of the average for the first seven days of February and more than three times the snowfall we saw in January! Palisades Tahoe is now sitting pretty at 207″ inches of total snowfall this season thus far. We expect beautiful bluebird days for the weekend, the perfect weather for enjoying The Chalet’s 50th-anniversary celebration.
Weather
We still have some snow showers today, but they will diminish this afternoon, and 1-3″ inches of final accumulation is possible.
The high-pressure system will build near the West Coast, bringing a drier pattern for the weekend and into the first half of next week. We will see sunny days through Tuesday and partly sunny skies for Wednesday. Highs in the 30s for the lower mountain and 20s up top throughout this period, along with lighter winds.
The latest trend on the models continues to show two low-pressure systems approaching the coast by Wednesday night. The bigger system is forecasted to tap into Pacific moisture from the North of Hawaii with heavy precipitation moving in Thursday and into next Friday. The latest model runs show snow levels staying below the base throughout the storm. If the current trend holds we could get over two feet of snow by next Friday, February 14. Check out the full weather blog by Open Snow’s Bryan Allegretto.
Operations
The plan for the upcoming weekend is to run every lift across the resort (except Silverado), weather and conditions permitting.
The storms over the past week have refreshed our slopes with some fresh powder. However, you should be aware of patches of ice across the mountain while skiing. Please obey all ropes and signage on and around the mountain. The closures are for your safety, and if you disobey signage, your lift pass may be pulled and suspended.
De-Icing Chairlifts
This week we experienced some delays in opening our chairlifts due to icing. As the storm was quite wet, many of our chairlifts turned into ice cubes once the freezing elevation levels dropped. Unfortunately, the only way to break the ice off and free the chairlift is for the Lift Maintenance team to climb the lift towers and manually remove the ice from every sheave and grip on the chairlift, making for some incredibly time-consuming work. The wind plays a huge factor in this process as it drives the snow into the smaller cracks of the machinery, making the ice even more solid. Last night, we experienced winds over 160 mph, which affected our ability to open Gold Coast this morning.
Chalet 50th Anniversary Celebration
This Saturday, February 8th, The Chalet will be celebrating its’ 50th anniversary! Get ready for a German-themed party you won’t forget—complete with great tunes, cold drinks, and a hearty “Prost!” to 50 years of memories. Kick off the celebration with a Swiss cowbell procession from the mid-station of Treeline Cirque to The Chalet starting at 12:45pm. Enjoy delicious free pretzels from 1:30-2pm, $6 Trumer Pilsners, and a lively performance by The Alpenhorns.
Mountain Surf Report
Parking
Both free and paid reservations for this upcoming weekend are sold out. 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.
HOW TO GET OPERATIONS UPDATES:
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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
