Although considerable snow has fallen throughout March, many Lake Tahoe ski resorts will still be shutting down by mid-April, pulling down the curtain on their 2017-18 season.
Kirkwood Mountain will be the first Lake Tahoe ski resort to close, its final day scheduled for Sunday, April 8. An additional six Lake Tahoe ski resorts, including Northstar California and Sugar Bowl, have announced April 15 closing dates.
Echoing the thoughts of many Lake Tahoe ski resorts was Jaclyn Ream, a spokesperson for Diamond Peak.
“We’re sticking to our projected date of April 15,” Ream said. “Thanks to some recent help from Mother Nature (over 14 feet of snow this month) and a lot of work from our Slope Maintenance team, we’re looking good for April 15. We’re 100-percent open.”
Due to the recent snow storms, Sugar Bowl is considering staying open later than April 15. Both Soda Springs and Boreal Mountain are contemplating extending their season by one week (April 22).
“We’re still deciding about staying open one more week,” said Tucker Norred, a spokesperson for Boreal and Soda Springs. The resorts received 4 inches of snow overnight Friday and were expecting 7 more inches Saturday (March 24).
Granlibakken, which has a sled hill and one run for skiing and riding, has set its tentative closing date for Monday, April 16.
Heavenly Mountain will remain open a week longer than most Lake Tahoe ski resorts, concluding operations April 22.
Both Sierra-at-Tahoe and Homewood Mountain are undecided regarding their closing dates. “Closing date depends on the longevity of the current snowpack as well as temperatures and changing conditions,” said Sierra spokesperson Thea Hardy. “There is still plenty of awesome skiing to be done until then.”
Mt. Rose will again be one of the last Lake Tahoe ski resorts open this season. The closing date for the Nevada resort is Sunday, April 29.
“Tentatively, our closing date is set for April 29, making this our third season in a row to achieve a six-plus month-long season,” said Mike Pierce, Mt. Rose spokesperson.
Once again, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will stay open longer than any Lake Tahoe ski resort. Closing day for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has been scheduled for May 28 (Memorial Day), weather and conditions permitting. The High Camp Hot Tub, a spring skiing tradition, will open March 31, if the weather cooperates.
“With ‘Miracle March’ in full swing, the resort is gearing up for 2½ more months of skiing and riding,” stated a Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Press release earlier this month.
Look back at last ski season
It was arguably the most prolific season for snow totals in Lake Tahoe history. As a result, Lake Tahoe ski resorts stayed open later for the 2016-17 season than ever before. The reason was obvious: eight of the Top-10 season snow totals in North America were owned by Lake Tahoe ski resorts.
Sugar Bowl had the most snow among the Lake Tahoe resorts for the 2016-17 season, recording 795 inches. That put Sugar Bowl in second place among North American resorts, trailing only Mt. Baker in Washington, which had an astonishing 866 inches of snow.
Shutting down in the middle of April is the norm for many Lake Tahoe ski resorts. With massive snow totals a year ago, four Lake Tahoe ski resorts still closed by mid-April, while six extended the season a week or more, including Heavenly Mountain, whose April 30 closing was the resort’s latest ever.
Only three ski resorts – Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Mt. Rose, Sugar Bowl – were offering skiing and snowboarding last May. Mt. Rose received more than 770 inches of snow for the 2016-17 season, an amount that shattered the old mark of 600 inches in 1994-95. The resort off Mt. Rose Highway near Lake Tahoe finally closed Memorial Day, May 29.
But Squaw Valley outlasted them all a year ago. The longest ski season in resort history concluded July 15 after offering skiing and riding for a record 200 days. Winter and summer blended together at Squaw Valley. The 200 days of operations was nearly a month more than the average of 174 days.
Squaw Valley accumulated 728 inches of snow – equaling more than 60 feet – the fifth highest total in North America.
“This (2016-17) season was one we will not soon forget,” said Andy Wirth, president and CEO of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows. “Mother Nature dealt out her fair share of challenges, with snow totals, wind speeds and overall volatility of weather the likes of which have never been seen in the Sierra Nevada since ski areas have been in operation. However, the monumental snowpack brought the historic opportunity to operate well into summer.”
Tentative Closing Dates
- Kirkwood Mountain: April 8
- Diamond Peak: April 15
- Northstar California: April 15
- Soda Springs: April 15
- Boreal Mountain: April 15
- Sugar Bowl: April 15
- Tahoe Donner: April 15
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: April 15
- Homewood Mountain: April 15
- Granlibakken: April 16
- Heavenly Mountain: April 22
- Mt. Rose: April 29
- Squaw Valley: May 28
- Alpine Meadows: May 28
