Mt. Rose fired up its snow guns on October 12, the first Tahoe resort to make snow this fall, and the rest of the basin is lining up right behind it. Opening days are on the calendar, a strong El Niño is building in the Pacific, and swap season is about to start. Here is what is new at each mountain, how to follow the forecast all winter, and where to get your gear sorted before the first chair.
WHAT'S NEW, RESORT BY RESORT
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe | November 6
First to make snow and first on the calendar. Mt. Rose put close to $2 million into the mountain this summer, including a replaced snowmaking main line, a new PistenBully groomer, and restraint bars on every lift now that The Chuter has been retrofitted. Families get the most visible upgrade: the new Wildslide Lodge at the tubing park, with food, drinks, indoor seating, and tickets in one place, plus a covered tubing lift. The rental fleet is new too, and the Main Lodge lobby has been redesigned so Guest Services and pass sales are no longer a traffic jam.
Northstar California | November 20
Northstar opens the same day as Heavenly. Parent company Vail Resorts says it is taking an aggressive approach to snowmaking this season, with more than $100 million invested in snowmaking across its resorts since 2015, and it is upgrading its most popular on-mountain dishes. New this year across Epic resorts: Epic Ascent, which adds concierge-style service to private lessons.
Heavenly | November 20
Heavenly tested its snow guns during October's early cold snap, so the system is primed. It is still the only place in the basin where you can ski from California into Nevada and back before lunch, with the lake below you the whole way.
Palisades Tahoe | November 25
Palisades is extending snowmaking along Mountain Run, the main route from the upper mountain back to the base, which should mean better top-to-bottom coverage early in the season and longer into spring. Three new PistenBully 600E+ diesel-electric snowcats use LiDAR to read snow depth up to 165 feet ahead of the machine. New remote avalanche control systems let Patrol do mitigation in storms, which means terrain can open sooner after a big dump.
Boreal Mountain | November 27
Boreal is the easy call for night laps and terrain park days right off I-80, and it is usually one of the first places to get the kids on snow.
Royal Gorge Cross-Country | November 27
Royal Gorge is the largest cross-country ski area in North America, and it opens the same day as Boreal. Skate and classic skiers, this is your Thanksgiving weekend plan.
Diamond Peak | December 3
More snow in the Village! Two new TechnoAlpin fan guns, one tower-mounted and one movable, now cover the base area where trails meet and lift lines need the most snow. Also new: Get Lifted Coffee + Waffles in the Base Area Plaza on busy weekends, Friday Fundays après with DJ Dom Morelli at the Loft Bar, longer 2.5-hour beginner lessons, new 2-day and 3-day Flex Passes, and an Early Ups morning in February when pass holders get the Lakeview chair at 8 AM and breakfast at Snowflake Lodge. Locals, note: IVGID preseason pass pricing ends October 31.
Kirkwood | December 4
Kirkwood sits high on the Carson Pass and is known for some of the deepest snow and steepest terrain in Tahoe. In a big El Niño year, it is the one to watch.
Homewood Mountain Resort | December 11
The biggest change on the West Shore. Homewood retired its 1966 Madden Chair this spring to make way for a new eight-passenger gondola from the lakefront base, with beginner terrain moving roughly 1,000 feet higher up the mountain. The resort also added snowmaking capacity on the lower slopes after a thin finish last spring.
Tahoe Donner Downhill | December 11
Small, friendly, and built for learning. Tahoe Donner is where a lot of Truckee kids take their first turns, and it opens the same day as Homewood.
Sierra-at-Tahoe | December 26
The last of the downhill openings on the list. Sierra is a South Shore favorite off Highway 50 with a deep lineup of tree runs, and its post-Christmas start lines up nicely with holiday week.
Tahoe Cross Country and Nevada Nordic | As soon as there is enough snow to groom
Tahoe Cross Country in Tahoe City and the volunteer-powered Nevada Nordic trails in the Mt Rose Meadows open when the snow allows for grooming. Watch their pages after the first real storm.
THE EL NIÑO QUESTION
This is the winter everyone has been talking about since August. As of NOAA's October 8 update, El Niño is still strengthening, with sea surface temperatures in the key Niño 3.4 region running 2.1°C above average and a better than 83 percent chance of a strong to very strong event through early 2027. That puts it in the same conversation as 1982-83 and 1997-98, two of Tahoe's legendary winters.
Before you start building the powder day calendar, two caveats from the forecasters. First, OpenSnow's preview calls for a slower start in December, with the best odds for big snow from January through March. Second, strong El Niño winters can deliver warm atmospheric rivers that bring rain and high snow levels, and the 2015-16 super El Niño ended up close to average around Tahoe. The odds are tilted in our favor. Nothing is guaranteed. Which is why it pays to follow the forecast closely all season.
WHERE TO FOLLOW THE FORECAST
OpenSnow, Tahoe Daily Snow. Bryan Allegretto, the forecaster most locals simply call B.A., writes the Tahoe Daily Snow. It is the closest thing the basin has to a shared morning ritual: storm timing, snow levels, which resorts will get the most, and his honest read on whether a storm is hype or real.
National Weather Service Reno. The official source for winter storm watches and warnings, snow level forecasts, and travel impacts for the Sierra and western Nevada. Follow @NWSReno on social for storm graphics that are easy to share.
And of course, each mountain’s morning snow report will give you the best micro picture.
Our rule of thumb: use the seasonal outlook for the big picture and the 7 to 10 day forecast for actual plans.
GEAR UP LOCALLY: SWAPS AND SHOPS
Swap season is the best way to outfit a growing kid, try a new discipline, or turn last year's gear into this year's pass money.
Sky Tavern Ski Swap, Reno. Friday, November 20, 5 to 9 PM, and Saturday, November 21, 9 AM to 3 PM, at 4813 Kietzke Lane. One of the region's largest swaps, with new and used skis, boards, boots, and apparel. Proceeds support Sky Tavern's nonprofit learn-to-ski program for local kids.
Truckee Ski & Snowboard Swap, Truckee. Hosted by Truckee Donner Recreation & Park District at the Community Recreation Center, 10981 Truckee Way. It usually lands in early November and admission is free. Check the district's page for this year's date and drop-off times.
Tahoe XC Cross-Country & Backcountry Ski Swap, Tahoe City. The place for skinny skis, skins, and touring gear, usually held in early November at the Tahoe XC lodge. A suggested $10 donation at the door supports youth Nordic programs.
Missed Diamond Peak's swap on October 18? The shops have you covered.
Village Ski Loft, Incline Village. An Incline institution for more than 45 years, at 800 Tahoe Boulevard. Ski and snowboard rentals, sales, and service, with helmets and outerwear in stock and special orders available. In summer it is the village bike shop. (775) 831-3537.
Down the hill in Reno. Reno's Ski Pro for rentals and tune-ups, family-owned BOBOS Ski Board Patio for gear and seasonal rentals, Blue Zone Sports with locations in Reno, Carson City, Truckee, and Tahoe City, and Moment Skis, which builds skis right in Reno and offers factory tours.
Around the lake. Locally owned Tahoe Dave's Skis & Boards has multiple North and West Shore locations for rentals and tunes.
Whether you are a first-chair regular or still deciding which pass to buy, winter is when Incline Village feels most like itself. Wax the skis, set a forecast alert, and we will see you in the lift line.
