Spring Skiing in Palisades Tahoe for PlanetSKI

17th May 2023

The winter statistics at Palisades Tahoe speak for themselves:

–       Total season snowfall – 18.4m

–       Biggest depth at any one time – 5.8m

–       Skiing from November to July – 8 months

I asked a local, Mark Trotter, for his take on the long, long winter as we chatted at the base station.

“I have been skiing these slopes for 25 years and this winter not only saw the most snow but also we had cold temperatures, so the powder was light and forgiving,” said Mark.

And my first impressions after an hour or so in the resort:

And just in case you are wondering we have done our research and 18m is one & half times the height of a London double-decker bus.

It has been a winter like no other as every local I spoke to reminded me, though of course this meant many times that ski areas were closed and roads shut as the storms hit.

“Some mornings it was like an artillery barrage with all the bombing going on to make the slopes safe from avalanches,” one local said to me as we chatted on the lift.

“You should have come earlier in the season, but it’s great to see you and thanks for showing an interest in our resort.”

Hard to believe it’s the second half of May:

But Spring is here with summer around the corner.

The attire of the skiers and snowboarders gives it away.

Regular readers will know that PlanetSKI is in California on a ski road trip:

We started off with spot of sight-seeing in San Francisco:

But skiing is the real reason we are here.

Palisades Tahoe is perhaps better known to UK skiers as Squaw Valley, but it changed its name in 2021.

The term ‘Squaw’ was seen by some as racist and sexist.

We reported on the name change at the time:

It is on the multi-resort Ikon Pass that PlanetSKI has been using this season, both in Europe and North America.

The purpose-built village is similar to so many other resorts in North America.

Some may call it rather lacking in soul compared to resorts in the Alps, but I prefer to think of it as functional.

But up on the slopes it is a different story, as Palisades Tahoe is anything but purpose-built and functional.

For the experts there are steep mogul fields,  advanced off piste terrain and some seriously challenging skiing.

Cliff jumps a plenty if that is your thing.

Palisades Tahoe is like no other resort in the USA that I have skied in.

At this time of year much is closed, but it was easy to admire and imagine what this winter must have been like.

It has a tram, one of just a handful of resorts in the USA, and that means there is a descent vertical decent.

As well as the steep stuff the resort has good beginner and intermediate terrain with much at the top of the mountain and accessed from the tram.

It struck me an ideal resort for mixed ability groups.

This being the USA the mountain restaurants are nothing much to write home about.

This rather tasteless soup cost $15 – though the views were worth it.

And this being America there are individuals doing their thing.

Meet Gordon.

He then showed me he could do it going backwards too.

There may be plenty of snow, but what is the snow like to ski on at this time of year?

It is worth getting on the first lift at 08.00.

The slopes are icy but the south facing one soon soften up.

There is grooming but lets just say it is not to the standard expected in the Alps.

“If you want groomers then you need to head to Northstar across the lake or go somewhere like Deer Valley,” one local said as we chatted on the lift.

“It may be rutted rather than groomed but we kinda like that here. We’re a mountain for real skiers and we take it as it comes.”

At this time of year the snow soon becomes slushy and sugary and that is the time to head to the north facing slopes.

On my visit I didn’t see a single bare patch – testament to the huge amounts of snow that have fallen this winter.

All too soon it was time to move and head to Mammoth Mountain that is also on the Ikon Pass.

I remembered the comment made by a local as I took the first lift.

“You should have come earlier in the season, but it’s great to see you and thanks for showing an interest in our resort.”

I fully intend to come back in the middle of winter and look forward to furthering my interest.

I ended with a beer with the locals in Le Chamois.

A cheeky hot tub.

Sadly there was no time for a tailgate.

I had to hit the road to Mammoth Mountain.

A resort that is open into August, a month later than Palisades Tahoe, and has had even more snow.

This article was originally published by Planetski.eu. Read the original article here.