Overview
- Palisades Tahoe, which disclosed Tuesday it can’t make its May 25 goal, is now targeting a late April closing with Alpine expected to run only into about April 5 and no firm final date set.
- The resort reports about 16 lifts and roughly 30% of trails open, with a stronger 4‑foot base mid‑mountain but fading coverage at lower elevations that could soon force downloads on the tram or funitel instead of skiing to the base.
- A record‑warm, dry March drove early shutdowns across the region, with the National Weather Service logging a week of record highs and South Lake Tahoe hitting 76 degrees on March 18 as several Tahoe and Northern Sierra areas closed for the season.
- Forecasters at OpenSnow say colder weather and mountain snowfall are possible March 31 to April 3, though Palisades’ spokesperson signaled any late snow would likely extend operations only modestly rather than reset the season.
- OpenSnow estimates Tahoe’s snowpack fell from about 75% of average to near 15% in four weeks, while higher, less rain‑hit Mammoth Mountain still has over 90% of terrain open and continues to plan for a May 25 closing.