Following an announcement Sunday by Mt. Rose, all 13 Tahoe ski resorts are currently closed due to containment efforts for Coronavirus.
MT. ROSE CLOSED FOR SEASON: Mt. Rose was one of the three Tahoe ski resorts that was open Sunday (March 15). But the Nevada resort, located near Incline Village in North Lake Tahoe, became the first Tahoe-area ski resort to announce it had closed for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
A message on the Mt. Rose website says – “As of March 15, Mt. Rose has made the difficult decision to suspend lift operations for the remainder of the season. Due to public health concerns associated with COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Mt. Rose is making this call due to our sincere regard for the health and well-being of all visitors and employees, as well as concern for the local community.”
To date, none of the Tahoe ski resorts have reported a positive Coronavirus test among any of its employees. While many Tahoe ski resorts also seem likely to close for the rest of the season, they are currently evaluating their status for the remainder of the 2019-20 ski season on an ongoing process.”
SEE LIST OF TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSINGS BELOW.
Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak and Homewood Mountain were all running lifts Sunday, an extremely rare powder day this season. Unlike Mt. Rose, the other two resorts had announced suspended operations Monday. Homewood will close through Sunday, March 22, while Diamond Peak is closed through Friday while evaluating any further closures.
“Wild times around here. We are closed for now,” Sugar Bowl spokesperson Jon Slaughter wrote in an email Sunday morning at a deserted ski resort. “We have suspended operations due to the impacts from COVID-19. We will continue to monitor the situation and hope to reopen this season if the circumstances allow.”
Slaughter’s statement reflects the feelings among most Tahoe ski resorts.
FINAL DAY OF SKI SEASON? Sunday could have been the final ski day of the 2019-20 season. Located on Tahoe’s west shore, Homewood received 33 inches of new snow by Sunday morning. According to a Homewood spokesperson, the resort was crowded and had to close ticket sales at the window and online.
Family-friendly Diamond Peak is located in Incline Village. It opened Sunday with 28 inches and a powder day awaiting skiers and riders.
“This was a very difficult decision, especially with a significant snowstorm falling on the Sierra this week. But the health and safety of our residents, visitors, and employees is paramount,” said General Manager Mike Bandelin. “We will continue to track the COVID-19 situation and inform the community if things change.”
Among the resorts announcing closures that began Sunday were the three Vail Resorts in Tahoe – Northstar, Heavenly, Kirkwood – Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Sugar Bowl, Tahoe Donner and Sierra-at-Tahoe. Sierra was the last of eight Tahoe ski resorts on Saturday to announce its closing, starting Sunday for just a 72-hour period, followed by an evaluation of future plans.
Two of Tahoe’s smaller resorts – Boreal Mountain and Soda Springs – announced their closing on its websites. The two Powdr Corporation-owned resorts are suspending operations through March 22. Closures include all lift operations, food and beverage, retail and rental services, winter activities and snowsports, as well as all Woodward Tahoe and Bunker operations.
The closings are extremely disappointing to ski and snowboarder passholders who frequent the Tahoe ski resorts. A huge storm began Friday night and had dumped more than 5 feet of snow to some Tahoe ski resorts by Monday morning. And more snow will arrive this week as well.
TAHOE SKI RESORT CLOSINGS (reported March 16)
- Mt. Rose: Closed for the season
- Squaw Valley: Closed, TBA
- Alpine Meadows: Closed, TBA
- Heavenly Mountain: Closed through March 22
- Kirkwood Mountain: Closed through March 22
- Northstar California: Closed through March 22
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: Closed through March 17
- Sugar Bowl: Closed, TBA
- Homewood Mountain: Closed through March 22
- Diamond Peak: Closed through March 20
- Boreal Mountain: Closed through March 22
- Soda Springs: Closed through March 22
- Tahoe Donner: Closed through March 31
