After a slow start to the ski season, there are 10 Tahoe ski resorts open for the 2019-20 season as of Friday, Nov. 29.
Four more resorts opened Friday – Sugar Bowl, Sierra-at-Tahoe and two Vail Resorts, Kirkwood Mountain and Northstar California.
There were six Tahoe ski resorts open Thanksgiving Day – Squaw Valley, Heavenly Mountain, Mt. Rose, Boreal Mountain, Alpine Meadows, and Soda Springs.
More good news is that the forecast is calling for snow over the next 10 days.
Below is the full list of Tahoe ski resort openings.
Here’s a look at the four resorts that opened Friday.
Sugar Bowl: With the first significant winter storm of the season currently moving its way through the region this week, the National Weather Service forecast is calling for three to four feet of snow to fall at Sugar Bowl.
“It’s game on. Not only are we watching the snow pile up at Sugar Bowl, our team is actively making the most of the cold temperatures by putting our snowmaking system to work,” said Jon Slaughter, Sugar Bowl’s executive director of marketing and sales. “This is our opportunity to help build a deep base that will carry us long through the season, and we’re excited to welcome skiers and riders back to Sugar Bowl starting today.”
Sugar Bowl had three lifts running Friday morning and terrain on the Judah side of the mountain. In addition, the resort’s operations teams expect to expand lift and terrain offerings quickly once they see how much snow accumulates from this storm, paired with efforts from their extensive snowmaking system.
With temperatures falling into the single-digits, the snowmaking team at Sugar Bowl will be making snow around the clock for the next 4-5 days to bolster the base depth of runs around the mountain.
Located off Interstate 80 off the Norden exit, Friday morning Sugar Bowl was reporting 3 inches overnight and 21 inches of snow for the week.
Sierra-at-Tahoe was offering a fun-filled schedule for opening day, including free coffee from Black Cabin Coffee, a limited edition 2019 Opening Day Sticker, and a reusable Sierra-at-Tahoe straw for the first 100 guests in line. This was followed by a complimentary beer toast at noon, led by John Rice.
Both Adult and Children’s Ski and Ride School lessons, Day Care and bites and drinks were available for purchase.
Located off Highway 50 heading into South Lake Tahoe, Sierra was reporting 8 inches of new snow overnight and 28 inches of new snow this week.
After a slow start weather wise in the Lake Tahoe region in November, it has been snowing regularly this week since Monday. The snowfall, combined with Sierra’s snowmaking efforts, allowed the resort to open for operation Friday. Sierra planned to run Easy Rider Express, Rock Garden Chair and two surface lifts, with access to two runs and one terrain park.
“It truly looks like winter on the mountain right now, and we can’t wait to kick off the season with our Sierra family,” said General Manager, John Rice. “More snow is forecasted to fall throughout the week and into the weekend. Our team will continue to assess conditions to see what terrain we can offer our guests.”
Northstar California: Following a week delay, opening day Friday meant plenty of skiing and riding at Northstar for the Thanksgiving holiday.
On Friday, there was a Big Springs Gondola opening celebration at 8 a.m. Music will take place from 2-5 p.m. at the Rink Stage, kicking off an afternoon of family-friendly fun in the Village at Northstar. At 4 p.m., guests can enjoy complimentary s’mores and hot chocolate around the Village Ice Rink, followed by music and face painting from 5-8 p.m.
Complimentary ice skating for Epic Pass holders will be available at the Village Rink, and all shops and restaurants in the Village will be open. Michael Mina’s new Bourbon Pub Northstar will be celebrating its grand opening Saturday (Nov. 23).
Located off Highway 267 in Truckee, Northstar was reporting 5 inches of new snow overnight and 28 inches for the week.
Kirkwood Mountain: The possibility of snagging a free burrito and some cool swag was part of the fun at Kirkwood’s opener Friday.
Opening Day celebrations at Kirkwood Mountain gave pass holders a chance to score free burritos, swag and drop into their winter flow.
“We are excited to start our season with great conditions and fun opening-day celebrations,” said Tom Fortune, general manager and vice president of Heavenly, who was formerly at Kirkwood for many years. “Our snowmaking teams have been working at every available opportunity to make snow and prepare our mountain for guests. We look forward to the upcoming forecast, and our teams will be working hard to continue to expand and open terrain as soon as we can safely do so.”
Located off Highway 88 near South Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood was reporting 7 inches of new snow overnight and 29 inches for the week.
OPENING DATES TAHOE SKI RESORTS
(All dates are weather dependent)
- Mt. Rose: Opened October 25
- Squaw Valley: Opened November 15
- Alpine Meadows: Opened November 15
- Boreal Mountain: Opened November 23
- Heavenly Mountain: Opened November 27
- Soda Springs: Opened November 28
- Sugar Bowl: Opened November 29
- Northstar California: Opened November 29
- Kirkwood Mountain: Opened November 29
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: Opened November 30
- Homewood Mountain: December 6
- Diamond Peak: December 12
- Granlibakken: December 13
- Tahoe Donner: December 13
