Tahoe, and the whole West Coast, for that matter, is getting an early start to its 2026-2027 ski season with Mt. Rose announcing a surprise opening.
The resort announced in a press release Monday that Friday, November 6, will be its official Opening Day after a Halloween weekend storm brought snow to the West Coast. Snow fell above 7,000 feet between Friday and Sunday throughout different parts of Tahoe, with several resorts reporting anywhere from four inches to as much as eight inches. Mt. Rose, which is located on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, pointed to its 8,000-foot base elevation for the early-season advantage.
“We’re excited to get winter started, and to again offer skiers and snowboarders another six-month season. Mt. Rose – Ski Tahoe can boast one of the longest ski seasons in Tahoe with operations from early November until almost May,” said Mike Pierce, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe marketing director. “Recent snow paired with our extensive snowmaking efforts, the highest base area elevation in Tahoe at 8,260’, plus more snow in the extended forecast means early season conditions are ready to roll for the first turns of the season.”
Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, and Wolf Creek all opened within the last week. Further west, Mammoth Mountain was scheduled to be the first in the Sierra Nevada Range on November 13, but the Mt. Rose announcement will win that race by a week. According to OpenSnow.com, Mt. Rose was originally projected to open on November 20, so Tahoe locals are likely excited to get two full weeks of turns in well ahead of schedule.
“Tahoe’s highest base elevation gives Mt. Rose a natural advantage. Add our snowmaking capabilities and a five-million-gallon water storage tank, and we’re building a foundation long before the big storms arrive,” a statement from the resort read just before the storm. “So when Mother Nature delivers the goods, it’s adding to what we’ve already built.”
