This is when popular ski resorts in Lake Tahoe plan to open for upcoming 2023-24 season
The calendar’s recent turn to October means ski season in Lake Tahoe and the Sierras is getting closer. Resorts are hoping to continue the momentum created by last year’s historic snowfall into 2023-24 and are gearing up for what they hope is another busy season.
A number of resorts have announced tentative opening dates and changes being made. Some of them are planning to open in mid-November if the weather allows. Let’s go through the changes announced by Ski California and its member resorts.
Northstar California
The Epic Pass, which works across the vast Vail Resorts network, is introducing a new app to make getting on to the mountain easier . The “My Epic App” will allow skiers and snowboarders the option of skipping the ticket window and going straight to the slopes via a mobile ticket on their smart phones, which will be scanned hands free using Bluetooth low-energy technology. Northstar is also opening a new cafe-bar in their village, which will be open all day from when lifts to open to last call.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 17
Palisades Tahoe
Celebrating its 75th anniversary, Palisades will be one of four resorts to host American stops for the Audi FIS World Cup, considered one of the world’s top skiing competitions. The two-day event will take place Feb. 25-26 and include festivities such as concerts, fireworks and parades. The resort is boasting multi-million dollar renovations to the Gold Coast mid-mountain lodge as well as a new haul rope for the Funitel gondola, which hasn’t been replaced since it was built in 1998. The resort also invested in five new PistenBully snowcats for grooming.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 22
Heavenly Mountain Resort
Like Northstar, Heavenly is adopting the “My Epic App” to expedite ticketing. Additionally, the resort is opening a new monthly Brews and Views apres experience at the Lakeview Lodge halfway up the mountain near the gondola drop off point. The Toyota Air and Apres freestyle event will come to town March 1-3, featuring a 45-foot jump accompanying a light show at the bottom of World Cup run.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 17
Sierra-at-Tahoe
Sierra was hit hard by the August 20201 Caldor Fire, which burned roughly 221,000 acres and 80% of the resort. It was forced to remain closed through 2021 and didn’t reopen until February 2022, which means this year will be Sierra’s first full season since 2020. It has a new maintenance shop, the Sierra-at-Tahoe road has been repaved and parking lot improvements have been completed. The resort will offer a special rate for first responders.
Tentative opening date: Dec. 2.
Homewood Mountain Resort
Homewood was recently taken over by Discovery Land Company and will continue emphasizing its family friendly motif from the western shore of Lake Tahoe. The resort says it is introducing “refreshed culinary offerings” at its dining venues and “enhanced on-mountain snow experiences.”
Tentative opening: Mid-December
Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
Mt. Rose said it made “massive” investments into the resort over the past few years with improvements to its lifts, trails and snowmaking capabilities. There’s a new deck built off the new Lakeview Express lift, new improvements to the Lodgepole Cafe, a heated ramp from the parking lot to the main lodge and improvements to its website.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 9
Soda Springs
Soda Springs, minutes west of Donner Pass off Interstate 80, is offering $25 tickets on “Play Forever Fridays,” happening one Friday each month. $5 of each ticket sale will go toward a non-profit, the resort says.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 24
Boreal/Woodward Tahoe
The popular small resort is offering “GoTime Tickets” which allow users to pick their start times and save money by going later in the day. Like Soda springs, they’ll also offer $25 tickets on “Play Forever Fridays” with $5 of those tickets going to charity.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 17
Sugar Bowl
One of the oldest resorts in Tahoe is celebrating its 85th anniversary season with new members of its leadership team, investments in the “on mountain experience with new snow grooming and transportation equipment,” a new high-speed racing venue, a warming hut and “sweetened offering at the Sugar Rush tubing and snow play park.”
Tentative opening date: Nov. 24
Diamond Peak
Diamond Peak, at the northeast corner of Lake Tahoe, remodeled its Base Lodge Provisions food court as well as new grooming equipment that is expected to cut down on emissions.
Tentative opening date: Dec. 7
Kirkwood
Kirkwood is bringing back “Kirkwood’s springtime Slush Cup!,” the Banked Slalom and Vertical Drop. They’re also part of Vail, which means the “My Epic App” will expedite ticketing, along with Northstar and Heavenly.
Tentative opening date: Dec. 1
Tahoe Donner
Tahoe Donner calls itself “the best place to begin” and will expand its kids and senior race programming. At its XC Ski Center, the new “XC Masters Training Group” will occur Friday mornings. The resort says it will be the first in the area to turn on its dedicated snowmaking system.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 24
Bear Valley Adventure Co.
East of Arnold up Highway 4 is Bear Valley Adventure Co., which is opening a new trail head for cross country skiing and snow shoeing. It will also have dog friendly trails.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 22
Bear Valley
Nearby, Bear Valley is opening a new bar and has new grooming equipment for the season.
Tentative opening date: Nov. 17
Sky Tavern
Roughly 20 minutes northeast of Incline Village, Sky Tavern invested $2 million into its snowmaking, a project that was recently completed. Sky Tavern also says it is offering a Level 500 coach race program from Alpine Director Mike Savage.
Tentative opening date: Dec. 13
