Will Tahoe-area resorts cut ski season even shorter? What to know as temps climb
As temperatures rise across California, some Lake Tahoe-area resorts are cutting their losses and ending ski season early.
Many resorts in the Sierra Nevada had to push their opening days back due to abnormally warm and dry weather, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
Weather played a role in Homewood Mountain Resort’s decision to close for skiing and snowboarding on Tuesday, March 17, nearly a week earlier than previously planned.
“Mother Nature always gets the final word in the mountains, and this season she’s calling it a little early,” Homewood representatives wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“With today’s high temperatures and the forecast showing highs in the 70s starting tomorrow and through the weekend, our snowpack is rapidly dwindling,” the resort said. “The safety of our guests and employees is always our top priority, and the safest option is to close today.”
Other Tahoe-area resorts are also feeling the heat.
Some are closing for a few days to preserve snow for winter sports enthusiasts, or offering lift tickets at a discounted rate.
If you’re planning a trip to the Lake Tahoe region, here’s what to know:
Which Tahoe-area ski resorts are closing early?
At least one Tahoe-area ski resort has announced it will close early due to unseasonably warm weather.
Sierra-at-Tahoe in Twin Bridges will shut down for the season on Sunday, March 22.
“We’re currently seeing near-record temperatures, and as you can see behind me, the snow’s melting fast,” director of operations Bryan Hickman said in a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday.
In the video, large swaths of brown earth can be seen protruding patches of mountain snow.
“Sometimes, Mother Nature just wins,” Hickman said.
As of Thursday, March 19, Tahoe Donner in Truckee had closed its cross country ski center. However, its downhill ski resort will remain open through the weekend and its retail store will stay open for the next two weekends.
Officials at Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Incline Village previously told SFGate they are considering an early closure.
“Right now, we are kind of taking it day by day, week by week,” spokesperson Paul Raymore told the outlet. “It really just depends on Mother Nature and how warm it gets, if it cools off, if we happen to get any storms in late March. … Obviously, it’s a challenging season, and things are melting quickly.”
Other ski resorts in the Tahoe region have already announced earlier closing dates, Bay Area news statoin KRON-TV previously reported.
When will Sierra Nevada resorts close for ski season?
As of Thursday, here’s when Tahoe-area ski resorts were expected to close for the season, according to their websites and ski tracking site On The Snow:
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: Sunday, March 22
- Tahoe Donner: Sunday, March 22
- Boreal Mountain Resort: Sunday, April 19
- Diamond Peak: Sunday, April 19
- Heavenly: Sunday, April 19
- Kirkwood: Sunday, April 19
- Northstar California: Sunday, April 19
- Soda Springs: Sunday, April 19
- Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe: Sunday, April 26
- Sugar Bowl Resort: Monday, April 27
- Donner Ski Ranch: Sunday, May 10
- Palisades Tahoe: Monday May 25
Bear Valley Mountain Resort will temporarily close Monday, March 23 through Wednesday, March 25 “to preserve snow,” the resort announced via Facebook.
After reopening, the resort said it plans “to stay open as long as we can!”
Is there any snow in the weather forecast?
Weather has presented numerous challenges for ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe region.
In February, some Tahoe-area resorts delayed opening or temporarily closed due to whiteout conditions, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
On Feb. 17, an avalanche near Castle Peak in the Lake Tahoe area swept away 15 backcountry skiers and their guides, killing nine, The Bee reported. The snowslide was the deadliest avalanche in California history.
Throughout the 2025-26 ski season, weeks have gone by without Tahoe receiving fresh snow, according to Bee archives.
About 20% of the peak statewide snowpack was gone as of mid-March, and snowmelt was “well underway” months ahead of schedule, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
“Temperatures are stubbornly, unseasonably warm — even overnight in the Sierra Nevada mountains,” agency director Karla Nemeth wrote in a March 11 article.
As of Thursday, there was no snow in the forecast for the greater Lake Tahoe area, according to the National Weather Service.
