snow

Skiing in July? Season extended at some Tahoe, CA ski resorts

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Skiing in July? Season extended at some CA resorts

Palisades Tahoe, Heavenly, Mammoth announce they're extending season through May, July after record-setting winter, snowfall in the Sierra Nevada.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If the harsh weather kept you from skiing in Tahoe this season, don't worry, you will have more time to hit the slopes this year.

Heavenly Mountain, Palisades Tahoe, Northstar, Kirkwood, and Sugar Bowl are among the resorts that have announced they are extending their season.

While most usually close in mid-April, they're now staying open until the end of April or the second week of May.

However, Palisades announced Thursday they have received so much snow they are staying open through July 4. This isn't totally uncommon though, Palisades has extended its season into the summer before, most recently in 2019.

As for Heavenly, ski resort officials say blizzard conditions and just a harsh winter have impacted this season's operations.

"We opened Nov. 11 and it's been cold and snowy ever since. We haven't seen a big melt or a lot of settlement. We've had four full closure days and then a number of wind hold days or visibility hold days just due to the amount of active weather we've seen this season," said Ricky Newberry, Senior Director of Mountain Operations.

Some resorts report they have received more than 56 feet of snow this season and Heavenl expects to set a new snow record this year.

A little farther south, Mammoth Mountain announced it's extending its ski season until at least the end of July after Southern California saw record-setting snowfall during the recent storms.

The resort announced the extension on its social media accounts, saying it is just one storm away from breaking the all-time record of 668" of total season snowfall.

"As always, we do not have a closing date set, but will plan to stay open as long as conditions allow," read a statement posted on Facebook. "Sitting on one of the deepest base depths ever recorded at Main Lodge, it's going to be some of the best spring skiing and riding we've ever seen."