Palisades Tahoe, CA Operations Update: Siberia & Wa She Shu Open on Christmas Day

by Palisades Tahoe on December 24, 2023

Editoris Note:  see our latest Palisades Tahoe report from Xmas Eve:

• Palisades Tahoe, CA Report: An Inbounds Backcountry Experience on the Palisades

It’s a Christmas miracle! Well, really it’s just the dedication of the Lift Operations, Grooming, Snowmaking, and Lift Maintenance teams — Against all odds, we are expanding a bit more. You read that correctly: Both Siberia and Wa She Shu will open on Monday morning. Siberia and Wa She Shu will both operate from 9am – 4pm. Be advised that this is Experts-only terrain. Ski and ride within your ability level.

WEATHER OUTLOOK

It will be clear through the 26th, and then the possibility of snowfall opens back up on the evening of Wednesday, the 27th. With this possibility, though, comes the likelihood of a significant wind event. Upper mountain chairlifts could be affected. Current snowfall predictions range from 1-6 inches depending on elevation. We’ll take whatever we can get. Get the latest from our weather blog. Bryan Allegretto of OpenSnow posts daily when a storm is coming in.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SNOWPACK

Last December, we got 12 feet of snow throughout the month. It goes without saying that this year has been a bit different, and coverage is very thin on some areas of the mountain. We thought it might be fun to show you some year-over-year comparison images using SNOWsat, the snow depth measurement system utilized by our snowcat operators.

These first images are of the Wa She Shu unload and the bottom terminal of Siberia. For some context, use the key at the bottom of the images. Yellow and Gold are the most ideal levels of snow, while pink is at the lower end of the spectrum. The pink color indicates snow levels ranging from 12-24 inches. We try to avoid putting snowcats on areas with less than 12 inches of snow.

The average snowpack in the Wa She Shu unload area is about 17 inches right now. On this day last year, the average snowpack here was 57 inches! Siberia Ridge (which has the advantage of being several hundred feet higher than Wa She Shu) is in a little bit better shape currently, with an average of roughly 30 inches of snowpack. This time last year, Siberia Ridge had an average of 83 inches of snow.