Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort Guide: Reviews, Ratings and Stats
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Palisades Tahoe reviews & ratings
4.2 (23 reviews)
Ranked 106th of 155 Ski resorts
4.17 (23 ratings)
Overall Rating
3.41 (22 ratings)
Value for Money
4.17 (18 ratings)
Après Ski
4.67 (21 ratings)
Off Piste
3.81 (21 ratings)
Eating Out
4.05 (19 ratings)
Accommodation Options
Ski Resorts>USA>California>Palisades Tahoe
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Overview

Palisades Tahoe in California, formerly known as Squaw Valley, is a world-renowned ski resort known for hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics. The resort offers a vast and diverse terrain across two mountains, appealing to skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels. Palisades Tahoe is celebrated for its challenging runs, extensive backcountry access, and vibrant village atmosphere. The resort's advanced lift system, including the iconic Tram, provides access to a wide range of slopes and stunning views of Lake Tahoe. Palisades Tahoe's amenities include a variety of dining, shopping, and lodging options. The resort's commitment to sustainability and environmental initiatives is evident in its operations. Palisades Tahoe is perfect for those seeking a premier ski experience with a rich historical background.

Resort Stats

Ski Terrain
270Total Runs
3.2 milesLongest Run
6000 acresSkiable Terrain
1000 hectaresSnow making
Elevation
9050 feetTop
6200 feetBottom
2850 feetVertical Drop
Lifts
3Gondolas / Cable Cars
16Chairlifts
Lift Pass Costs
$1699Season pass
$2371 day
Weather
417 inchesAverage annual snowfall

Getting There

Airports

  • Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) 50KMs 60min drive
  • Sacramento International Airport (SMF) 110KMs 130min drive
  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 190KMs 220min drive

Train Stations

  • Truckee Amtrak Station (Truckee, CA) 20 / km 25m drive

Palisades Tahoe Reviews & Ratings

Overall Rating: 4.2
Ranking: 106th of 155 resorts
4.17 (23 ratings)
Overall Rating
3.22 (18 ratings)
Snow Parks
3.41 (22 ratings)
Value for Money
4.17 (18 ratings)
Après Ski
4.05 (22 ratings)
Family Friendly
4.67 (21 ratings)
Off Piste
3.81 (21 ratings)
Eating Out
3.86 (21 ratings)
Tree Skiing
4.17 (23 ratings)
Groomed Runs
4.29 (21 ratings)
Mogul Fields
4.41 (22 ratings)
Powder Zones
2.82 (22 ratings)
Quiet Slopes
4.35 (23 ratings)
Lift Efficiency
4.77 (13 ratings)
Ski School Quality
4.05 (19 ratings)
Accommodation Options
3.43 (7 ratings)
Intermediates
4.60 (5 ratings)
Advanced
4.45 (11 ratings)
Experts
4.50 (2 ratings)
Snowboarders

All Reviews

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Ted - expert skier
Apr, 21 - 2024
Few ski area have the variety of terrain accessible from almost every lift as Tahoe Palisades. Combined with the beautiful Tahoe weather and views of the lake create an unsurpassed ski adventure.
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Zac - intermediate skier
Apr, 20 - 2024
A great resort with a ton to offer. Especially great if youre a more advanced skier. You have a lot of ground to cover so you dont ever get bored. Apres scene could be a little better, village areas arent huge, but they definitely are fun. Good food and lodging on mountain. Making plans to visit again and hopefully hit some more advanced terrain
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Nick - expert skier
Apr, 19 - 2024
One of the best mountains in Tahoe kt 22 is the best lift. Don't sleep on Gold Coast on Powder Day. The base to base gondola has amazing views. If you can find mogrog on the Alpine side 10 out of 10 food.
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Kevin Zhang - advanced snowboarder
Apr, 19 - 2024
Palisades is pretty good if you are advanced+ but very terrible if you are new. The snow conditions vary widely and they rarely close runs because of conditions so if youre not careful you can end up in very bad conditions . However best technical terrain on the west coast
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Gradyn - expert skier
Apr, 18 - 2024
Palisades Tahoe is known for its gnarly terrain and breathtaking views. Whether your skiing style is sending the fingers(biggest cliffs) under KT-22 to calling out real pro skiers or going for a mellow cruise down some fun groomers to Shirley lake this place has it all. This mountain is actually 2 resorts combined by a new base to base gondola(2023 install), Apline medows side has some of the best views of Lake Tahoe as well as some of the softest snow lapping Sherwood chairlift as the sun works its magic on this southern facing aspect resulting in the best spring corn skiing conditions. Palisades side is different in how people choose to ski, where some may see no way of getting down safely other casually are jumping over cornices, sending jumps that could have major consequences, or charging through endless mogul fields just to end up back at the bottom of the lift to do it all over again. People travel far and wide to visit this legendary place and with two mountains at your finger tips the mountain is what you make of it so go out and experience all it has to offer!
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Eric - expert skier
Mar, 28 - 2024
Palisades is a wonderful mountain for beginners/intermediates, but stands out as an exceptional expert mountain. As someone who skied over 15 different resorts this season, Palisades was far and away the king of expert terrain. While the base village is fairly small, it offers a surprising amount of food, drink, and shop options. Flying into Reno and staying on the lake was very easy and we had plenty of options logistically. Cant wait to go back!
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John - advanced skier
Mar, 26 - 2024
Some of the best advanced/expert terrain you can find anywhere. Massive footprint, competitive lift setup, super diverse terrain, super long ski season. That being said it gets busy on the weekends so coming up on a weekday should negate the crowding issue. Overall a phenomenal ski resort.
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Susan - intermediate skier
Mar, 20 - 2024
Each side of the mountain feels like a different resort. So much variety, its hard to get bored. But its definitely a large resort that gets crowded on weekends and holidays. Lift lines can be long and groomed runs are crowded.
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Daniel - intermediate skier
Mar, 20 - 2024
In general, this resort is great for advanced skiers, alright for intermediates, and not ideal for beginners. Beginner areas have high wind exposure making it hard and ski lifts often have wind holds in those areas. The best areas for intermediates is Resort Chair and lower mountain areas
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Helen - intermediate skier
Mar, 14 - 2024
I got an Ikon pass this year because one of my closest friends really loves Palisades. Ive had good days and bad days at Palisades, weekends are extremely crowded especially Saturday. I love riding the lifts, gondolas, and trams as theyre super cool. The base to base gondola was recently built and Ive been taking it every time I go to Palisades now, the view is just so pretty and I can eat my lunch there. And I think that weekdays at Palisades are great, especially during powder days. This resort is so large that even though one area may be icy, you could just traverse elsewhere to find better snow or take the gondola to the neighboring resort alpine meadows

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