Tahoe ski area extends season after 81 inches of April snow

California skiers and snowboarders looking to get a few more turns in this season just got some good news: Spring storms have allowed Palisades Tahoe to extend its season by at least a couple of weeks.

Palisades spokesperson Patrick Lacey said in a Wednesday email that this week's storm brought 11 inches of new snow, bringing the April total to 81 inches with a week left in the month and cool temperatures ahead.

"That momentum is setting the stage to keep lifts spinning into early to mid-May," Lacey said. "There's currently no set closing date, and operations will continue as long as conditions allow."

The Wednesday update is the second time the resort has changed its closing date as it deals with a tough winter snow season. The ski area announced last month that its original May 25 closing date had to be moved up to "late April" due to a lack of snow. But a string of three storms, starting on April 1, delivered enough snow to keep the top of the mountain white.

The entire western United States has seen a lower-than-average snowfall this past winter, limiting ski resort openings from Colorado to Washington. Even Timberline Lodge on Oregon's Mount Hood, which can usually use its glacier to stay open through August, announced last week that it would close July 19, a month earlier than it usually does.

In California, the historically low snow year has meant not only less skiing but also fewer water reserves in the mountains. Moderate drought conditions returned to 5% of the state this week, marking the first drought conditions for the state in more than a year.

Palisades is already the last ski area still open in Lake Tahoe, although Mammoth Mountain nearly 200 miles to the south in the Eastern Sierra expects to keep spinning lifts "through at least Memorial Day."

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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 7:09 PM.