CA Ski Resorts: What To Know About Opening Days, Planned Upgrades, Snow And More
CALIFORNIA — Temperatures are dropping, the first snow has fallen and ski resorts across California have fired up their snow-making machines as they prepare to welcome skiers and snowboarders for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
The earliest opportunity to hit the slopes will likely be at Mammoth Mountain and Mountain High: Both resorts say they’re on track to open for the season on Nov. 15. Many of the Lake Tahoe-area resorts are set to follow later in the month, with all of the state’s mountains on track to open by the end of December.
“Cold temperatures across the region have allowed us to kick off snowmaking operations at [Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood], and we’ve already seen some natural snowfall – including today! Snow showers in the forecast at higher elevations are also getting us excited for additional snow to boost our preparations,” Carly Mangan, spokesperson for the Vail-owned Kirkwood told Patch on Thursday.
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And as for a longer-term forecast — meteorologists say it’s hard to say exactly how snowy this winter will be.
It’s on track to be a La Niña winter, which is typically associated with less precipitation. But it’s expected to be a “weak” La Niña — which in recent years has meant more snow than average in much of the Sierra Nevada, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mammoth’s 2022-23 season — its snowiest on record with 870 inches — happened to be a La Niña year.
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Here’s an overview of the planned opening dates of some of California’s biggest ski resorts, along with previews of their new additions for the season. Note that the dates are subject to change based on weather conditions and other factors:
Big Bear — opening date to be announced
Though the resort saw its first snowfall this week, it hasn’t yet announced when it will open for the season. Snowmaking typically begins when temperatures dip into the low 20s with low humidity and light winds, often at the end of November.
When the resort does open, travelers could face traffic troubles as a nearly 5-mile stretch of Highway 330 remains closed as crews work to repair damage from September’s Line fire. One of the most popular roads in and out of the Big Bear area, Highway 330 is set to open to traffic — in only one direction — on Dec. 9, according to Caltrans.
New Lift: Set to open in mid-December, the $10.2 million Midway lift at Bear Mountain will replace chairs 2 and 5 in the central base area. The six-seater lift will provide better uphill capacity and easier, 2.5-minute access to the mid-mountain area and result in shorter lift lines, according to the resort.
Heavenly — opens Nov. 22
New Food: Golden State Kitchen will be open at California Lodge, offering California cuisine that aims to reimagine traditional ski lodge food with healthier fare.
No More Plastic Bottles: A ban on single-use plastic water bottles went into effect in South Lake Tahoe earlier this year. In response, Heavenly says it will transition all of its Pepsi products from plastic bottles to aluminum ones.
Après Upgrades: The Brews and Views après ski experience is getting enhanced with more beer sampling and live music.
Air and Après: In its third season, the Air and Après event — centered around skiers’ stunts off a 45-foot jump — will expand to a three-day event, tentatively set for March 1-3.
Subscription Rentals: Vail is launching My Epic Gear at Heavenly and Northstar. The subscription-based model offers an alternative to transporting equipment to the mountain: Members will have access to 60 popular, up-to-date ski and snowboard models with free in-resort delivery or daily slopeside pickup and drop-off.
Mammoth — opens Nov. 15
Chair 1 Replacement: The resort is working to replace The Broadway Express lift and expects it to be ready for the upcoming season. The old lift will be replaced with a six-seat detachable chairlift with an uphill capacity of 3,000 passengers per hour — a 25 percent improvement compared to its predecessor.
Upgraded Lifts: Face Lift Express (Chair 3) and Unbound Express (Char 6) will receive under-the-hood upgrades that the resort says will improve their efficiency and reliability.
Snowmaking Improvements: The resort committed $3.5 million during the offseason to upgrade its snowmaking, which it says will help improve early-season access out of the Canyon, Eagle and Main lodges.
New Lodge: An under-construction 6,000-square-foot Day Lodge at Woolly’s Adventure Summit, expected to open for the season, will include restrooms, ticketing, food and beverage, retail and indoor and outdoor dining areas.
Mountain High — opens Nov. 15
The Bridge fire tore through the Southern California resort in September, but firefighters were able to help protect the mountain’s infrastructure. All fall activities were canceled, but the resort said Friday it’s making snow at every opportunity and is on track to open on Nov. 15.
Palisades Tahoe — opens Nov. 27
The resort will celebrate its 75th anniversary with $75 tickets on opening day, set for Nov. 27.
Grooming Improvements: The resort added three new snowcats to its fleet. They’re equipped with LiDAR, which Palisades Tahoe says will help operators identify and address areas with minimal snow earlier than before.
Snowmaking Upgrades: Over the past year the resort has spent $1.4 million on snowmaking upgrades, including on machinery it says will help to open terrain more rapidly.
New Cafe: Located across from the Tram is Little Bear Cafe, which offers in-house baked goods, coffee, salads and sandwiches.
Rental/Demo Shop Renovation: The mountain spent over $500,000 to renovate the rental and demo shop at the Alpine Lodge with new furniture, equipment racking, dryers, lighting, carpet and paint. It also purchased a $300,000 Wintersteiger Jupiter, a fully automated ski and snowboard tuning machine.
Northstar — opens Nov. 22
Subscription Rentals: Vail is launching My Epic Gear at Heavenly and Northstar. The subscription-based model offers an alternative to transporting equipment to the mountain: Members will have access to 60 popular, up-to-date ski and snowboard models with free in-resort delivery or daily slopeside pickup and drop-off.
Sierra-at-Tahoe — opens Nov. 29
The resort for the first time this season is open to Ikon Pass holders, who will have access to up to seven days at the mountain.
Planned opening days at other California mountains for the 2024-25 season:
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