When Does Tahoe Ski Season End? Typical Closing Dates

by Laura Penrose | Updated: October 27th, 2022 |  Skiing Articles

Lake Tahoe is world renowned for its incredible scenery and collection of ski resorts within a small area around the lake itself. With lots of sunny days and mild temperatures during the Tahoe season, the question is, when does Tahoe ski season end?

Tahoe ski season ends at the end of April, with most ski resorts ending their ski season by the end of April. However, some ski resorts might stay open for the start of May, depending on the snow conditions.

Tahoe Ski

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Where is Tahoe Skiing?

Lake Tahoe ski
Photo by Jon Evans licensed under CC BY 2.0

Tahoe skiing is a collection of ski resorts located around Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada, U.S. The border between California and Nevada runs through Lake Tahoe, with ski areas in both states. 

Lake Tahoe is a beautiful, picturesque location with stunning blue water and snowy mountains all around during the winter. The scenery is just one reason to go skiing in Tahoe. With many ski resorts surrounding the lake, you will certainly have your pick of where to go skiing.

The closest large cities to Tahoe are Reno in Nevada in the northeast and Sacramento in California in the southwest. Tahoe is located around 200 miles from San Francisco, so you can fly into San Francisco and drive out to Tahoe, or you can fly domestically into Reno, which is only 37 miles from Tahoe. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4skqlrJ6uA&ab_channel=Dylan%26BrianVlogs

When Does The Tahoe Ski Season End? 

Generally, the Tahoe ski season ends around the end of April or the start of May. However, the exact dates vary between ski resorts. 

Lake Tahoe ski resort

With most ski resorts opening around the end of November (around Thanksgiving), there is undoubtedly an excellent season to be had at Tahoe. Although many of the ski resorts are able to open around this time, it isn’t usually until December when the snowfall increases. 

Each ski resort has its own closing day. For the 2021/2022 ski season, there is a list of each ski resort's closing day below. However, it should be noted that just because these were the closing dates for this season doesn’t mean they will be the same dates in the coming seasons. I

Ski ResortClosing DateOfficial Website
Sierra-at-TahoeApr 10sierraattahoe.com
HomewoodApril 10skihomewood.com
Diamond PeakApril 17diamondpeak.com
Sugar BowlApril 17sugarbowl.com
Soda SpringsApril 17skisodasprings.com
Northstar April 18northstarcalifornia.com
BorealApril 17rideboreal.com
HeavenlyApril 24skiheavenly.com
KirkwoodMay 1kirkwood.com
Mt. RoseMay 8skirose.com
Palisades TahoeMay 15palisadestahoe.com
Closing Date for 21/22 Season

For example, during the 2021/2022 ski season at Tahoe, Palisades Tahoe was the last resort to close on May 15, while Homewood was the earliest to close on April 10. 

Tahoe

If you are looking at traveling to Tahoe for end-of-season spring skiing, be sure to check out each resort's website to stay up to date on any date changes for the end of the season. 

Why Do Closing Dates Vary Between Ski Resorts? 

Many ski resorts will list their projected closing dates online. However, there are a variety of factors that lead to the decision for ski resorts to close sooner or later. 

Each individual resort makes the call as to when they close, and throughout the season, this may change depending on things like snow conditions. 

Depending on how much snow a ski resort gets throughout the season, how they are able to retain that snow, and how often they can make snow (snowmaking) are just a few reasons a resort might choose to close. It’s all about the snow conditions. 

Ski At Tahoe 
Photo by Travis Wise licensed under CC BY 2.0

If the snow starts melting and there isn’t enough terrain to keep the ski resort open, this can be a valid reason to close earlier. Ski resorts are in the business of making money, and so they need to be able to keep enough terrain open as long as possible to attract people to come to their resort. 

Why You Should Ski At Tahoe 

With over 15 ski resorts to choose from and 768 km of slopes to ski on, Tahoe certainly has a lot of great skiing to offer. 

The proximity to some major cities is also a nice selling factor. With only a few hours drive from San Fransico, Tahoe is a popular location for many keen skiers on the West Coast to go to. 

Tahoe is known to be a stunningly beautiful location to ski, not just the beautiful snowy mountains but also Lake Tahoe itself. 

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There are generally large amounts of snow across the season but also lots of sunny days, and the temperature is usually pretty mild. With typically 300 to 500 inches of snow each year, meaning that the season is able to extend into early spring. 

The area around Lake Tahoe is home to some world-class ski resorts with plenty to choose from. Because there are so many resorts in this area, if you are planning a trip to Tahoe to ski, you can choose more than one area to ski. 

Ski Lake Tahoe
Photo by Hans Johnson licensed under CC BY 2.0

Final Thoughts

Spring skiing can be a lot of fun with more slushy snow and warmer days. Tahoe is an easily accessible location with many ski resorts to choose from. 

As Tahoe is known for its mild temperatures and sunny days, it can be easy to assume that Tahoe skiing closes at the end of winter but that isn’t necessarily the case. 

If you are looking to ski at Tahoe near the end of the season, you will be pleased to know that the majority of ski resorts close by the end of April. However, there are a few that will still be open for the few weeks of May, such as Palisades Tahoe. 

To find out specifically when each individual ski resort projected closing date, be sure to check out each ski resort's individual websites and know that these dates are subject to change.