Palisades Tahoe, CA, 12/13 Operational Update: Storm Cycles and Granite Chief Opening

This post first appeared on the Palisades Tahoe blog on Friday, December 13th and was written by Maddy Condon

In the last 24 hours, Mother Nature dumped 13 inches of snow on the upper mountain of the Palisades Tahoe, California, bringing our season’s snow total to 6 feet. This cycle of storms will intensify and could bring another 2 feet of snow to the slopes by Sunday morning. Today we were able to open Granite Chief! This accomplishment was thanks to the mountain operations teams, including lift maintenance, grooming and all the work the reclamation team did over the summer.

Weather

Snow showers will continue today, with reduced precipitation and increasing mountain winds with gusts in excess of 70 mph. Snow will become more steady through tonight, with snow levels briefly peaking at 6000-6500 feet before falling below base Saturday morning. The storm could reach 14 to 20 inches at the base and 23 to 30 inches at the summit Sunday morning, with winds in excess of 100 mph, impacting lift operations on the upper mountain Saturday. Sunday clears up with sunny skies, while weaker weather on Monday could bring light showers and windy conditions. Click here to read the weather blog from Bryan Allegretto of Open Snow.

Operations

Palisades:

• Friday: We opened today Granite Chieftain For the first time this season.
• Saturday: We expect strong winds in excess of 100 miles per hour on the ridge, which will likely impact our operations in the upper mountain areas. If this is the case, we focus on the lower mountain and try to run Exhibition to the mountain stationFar East, Red Dog, Resort Chair, And First venture.
• Sunday: Due to Saturday’s snowfall, there may be a delay in the opening of our lifts as our mountain operations team conducts snow restoration work and excavates lifts. We will update our lift operations on our app and on the Lift + Grooming Status website.

Alpine:

• Planned lifts at Alpine include: Summit, Roundhouse, Treeline Cirque, Yellow, Meadow, Subway, Big carpetAnd Small carpet. Due to the stronger winds on Saturday, we expect disruption to lift operations, particularly those leading to the upper mountain.

Terrain expansion: Site expansion efforts will continue as conditions permit, and crews are working diligently to prepare the mountain for expansion.

Mountain Surf Report with Travis Ganong

Safety on the slopes

Although the approaching storm could bring several feet of snow, we would still expect “low tide” conditions, with hidden obstacles such as rocks and smaller trees just below the surface of the snow. If you decide to ski “off piste” (off groomed slopes), be aware of your speed and unmarked obstacles hidden under the snow.

Park

Free parking reservations for Saturday and Sunday at Palisades are sold out next weekend. Free parking reservations are still available at Alpine and we will operate the Palisades Tahoe shuttles to and from both base areas and the Base-to-Base gondola when possible. If you haven’t booked a parking reservation, there are other free options to get to the mountain: the Mountaineer Shuttle, which offers free rides in Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows, TART, and the free Park and Ride, which operates in both Truckee and Tahoe is available citywide with frequent trips between 6:30 a.m. and 5:45 p.m

Revegetation

Once the lifts close, Palisades Tahoe’s revegetation team gets to work, focusing on removing dead, dying and diseased trees to promote the overall health of our forests. Their efforts also include identifying and removing trees or hazards that could pose a risk to skiers, riders and groomers. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, we were able to open Granite Chief earlier than usual as their efforts created conditions that required a lighter snowpack than normal.

Disco tubes

On Saturday we’re opening SnoVentures and hosting disco tubing for the first time this season! Disco tubing is a fun activity for the whole family with colorful LED lights, lasers and live DJs from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m

Tahoe Live

This weekend, December 14th-15th, Tahoe Live is here! With Lil Wayne, Diplo, RL GrimeAnd Sheer luxury When you take the stage at Palisades Tahoe, it’s not just another concert – it’s an immersive experience. Palisades Tahoe gives you the best of both worlds. Ski during the day and party at night with the breathtaking Sierra Nevada mountains as your backdrop.

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