These California Ski Resorts Are Opening Early for the Winter Season
Several California ski resorts are opening early due to a winter storm. Here are resort opening dates in Tahoe, Mammoth, and more.
Courtesy Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Thanks to a fresh blanket of snow across the state, California ski resorts are opening early for the winter season—for many, marking the earliest opening weekend in decades.
The newly renamed Palisades Tahoe, for one, kicks off the season Friday through Sunday, with multiple lifts spinning plus specials like $10 hot waxes and $6 beers for anyone dressed in a Halloween costume. It’s only the third time in over seven decades that the resort has been able to open in October, according to Palisades Tahoe, thanks to more than 3 feet of snow on the upper mountains late in the month.
“Temps have warmed since the storm earlier this week, so snow conditions will be variable, and grooming is very limited,” the resort wrote on Instagram. “Be aware that early season obstacles exist.”
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Another Tahoe area resort, Boreal, will see its earliest opening in a decade this weekend. Two lifts will be up and running at the Soda Springs resort starting Friday.
Further south, Mammoth Mountain is also opening at least nine runs and a small terrain park early.
The ski area is hosting music and a beer toast Friday to mark the occasion, plus a Halloween costume contest. Best “hard rock” or “metal-themed costume” will wine a prize pack, according to the resort. More Halloween fun can be found on the mountain throughout the weekend, with a trick-or-treat rail jam Saturday and scavenger hunt Sunday.
Mammoth Mountain received more than 3 feet of snow on its summit earlier this week, the resort wrote on Instagram.
We’ll continue to update this list as more resorts open across the Golden State.
