Capitalizing on an October snowstorm, three California ski resorts opened early this year.
Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows), Boreal and Mammoth opened Oct. 29.
It’s only the third time in its 72 years that Palisades has opened in October, an announcement from the resort said. Weather permitting, the resort will be open on weekends until full-time operations begin on Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving.
Boreal, off Interstate 80 at Donner Summit, is seeing its earliest opening in more than a decade. It will have two lifts open. For three weeks, its hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and on Nov. 19 it plans to switch to seven days a week.
Mammoth, in the Eastern Sierra, planned to open four lifts with access to at least seven runs, as well as a small terrain park setup.
Among the dates currently set by other California resorts:
—Northstar and Heavenly, Nov. 19
—Sugar Bowl, Nov. 26
—Kirkwood, Dec. 3
—Homewood, Dec. 10
—Tahoe Donner, Dec. 11
—Mount Shasta, “mid-December”
Sierra-at-Tahoe, which was severely damaged by the Caldor Fire, says it is still evaluating its lifts and trails.
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