Popular Tahoe ski resorts announce opening dates after shortened winter season

Popular ski resorts in Lake Tahoe are already gearing up for winter after destinations across California closing early when the snowfall dried up.

Vail Resorts announced that the 2026/2027 ski season at Heavenly and Northstar resorts will open on November 20, with the Super El Niño expected to drop tons of snow on the area this winter.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe will also open on November 20, while Palisades Tahoe will welcome skiers on November 25. Boreal Mountain Resort will open two days later on November 27.

The South Lake Tahoe resort of Kirkwood will follow, with its slopes opening on December 4.

“It may only be August, but we’re laser focused on preparing our resorts to deliver the best and most differentiated guest experience in skiing and riding,” said Bill Rock, president of Vail Resorts‘ Mountain Division.

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“While no one can predict exactly what Mother Nature will deliver, the possibility of blockbuster snowfall has us feeling optimistic about the winter ahead.

“And while we’d love to see Super El Niño live up to the hype, we’re also taking an aggressive approach to snowmaking to ensure this ski season is one to remember,” Rock added.

The anticipated wet winter will be a much appreciated change from last year’s snow drought, which forced the closure of numerous ski resorts in the state by mid-March.

Some of those resorts included Yosemite’s Badger Pass, Dodge Ridge in the Central Sierras, Mt. Shasta in Northern California, and Homewood Mountain in Tahoe, among others.

Images at the time showed the restors no snow on the ground amid rising temperatures that made using snow machines to supplement the conditions difficult.

Vail Resorts, which counts resorts in California, Colorado, and Washington among the nearly two dozen areas it operates, recently described the year as the “worst-case weather scenario” for many of its North American ski resorts. 

“This has been the most challenging winter ⁠across the Rockies that we have ever experienced with the lowest snowfall levels in more than 30 years for our Colorado and Utah resorts,” Chief Executive Rob Katz said in a statement.

Despite the weather challenges of the last ski season, Katz said the company’s “strategic focus remains unchanged” and he’s pleased with the progress they made.

“Looking ahead, we see significant opportunity to further elevate the guest experience across our resorts through continued investments in lifts, snowmaking, terrain and our talent, while leveraging the scale and strength of our integrated network to implement new technologies and enhance key elements of the guest experience.”