Opening Day Schusses Into Mammoth and Palisades Tahoe

SNOW BEFORE SWEETS: Surely, somewhere deep in the annals of skiing lore and legend, there exists a poem, rhyme, or limerick that addresses what happens when winter's best-known sport begins before Halloween. There must be someone making predictions about the promising months to come, and all of the accumulation that mountain mavens can expect, for opening days at various ski resorts frequently arrive in November, if not December in many locations. But that is not the case in 2021, where the celebratory kick-off of ski season commenced on Friday, Oct. 29, an early start at both Mammoth Mountain and Palisades Tahoe.

FOR FALL SNOWSTORMS... gave both resorts the inch-building oomph they required to stage their respective late-October openings, meaning people can indeed ski at the Eastern Sierra destination or North Lake Tahoe on Halloween. That Mammoth Mountain frequently pushes its ski season to the Fourth of July, or even early August, means that schussers and snowboarders could potentially be facing a 9-month season, if the clouds are kind. As for what's running at Mammoth? Broadway Express, Face Lift Express, Discovery Chair, and the Panorama Gondola to McCoy Station all cranked into gear, while Palisades Tahoe has plans to open each weekend in November. By the by, the North Lake Tahoe resort was due to open on Nov. 24, while Mammoth's 2021 Opening Day was originally set for Nov. 13.

INTERESTING TO NOTE? This is only the third time that Palisades Tahoe has opened in October in 72 years, and Mammoth's 10th October opening ever. So if you were writing a poem or prediction about the coming winter, would it brim with hope? That's what California's very first skiers are feeling as they fly down some of our state's most celebrated slopes two full days ahead of Halloween.