The Skiers' Guide to Palisades Tahoe

I’ve lived in Northern California my entire life, and have been to Palisades since it was previously Squaw Valley. The resort is amazing, even better now that they’ve connected to another resort called alpine via a gondola in recent years. Highly recommend.

The mountain has the most amazing expert terrain; if we were having a better winter, more could be highlighted. This is my home mountain, and I ski here 90-100 days per year. The food is expensive and terrible. Not unlike most US resorts. In the village, there are okayish places such as Tremigo.

Big enough mountain that even with crowds, you can find lifts and runs with few people. Amazingly well groomed and maintained. Fun atmosphere all the time with strong skiers!

I've been snowboarding at Palisades for 25 years and it is the top resort in California in my opinion. There's no better runs than Siberia KT22, and granite chief.

I’ve been coming to this resort for many years and I keep coming back because the staff is helpful and friendly, the mountain is pristinely groomed no matter the conditions, and the park is always set up well with features ranging from beginner to advanced levels!

Palisades is a great overall resort with a little bit of everything! Great runs, lots of diversity, good powder, good tree runs, family friendly, and just beautiful in general.

I love Palisades Mountain. I went this past January. However, the snow pack was significantly diminished since its last big storm in December. When this resort is adequate snow pack, it is extremely fun and always has something where I can challenge myself to become a better skier.

I go here because it’s the closest mountain to San Francisco. The drive takes about 3.5/4 hours. I think that the snow is not as good as Colorado or Mammoth. The runs are difficult.

Great resort, friendly staff, cool runs, scenic views, good food options, not too crowded. Gondolas are maintained well.

Haven’t gotten much snow this winter, like most places out west, but going and hitting the groomed trails on a sunny bluebird day is a nice way to enjoy what we’ve got. Trails are well groomed. Lifts are efficient. Take the tram and get a gorgeous view of the whole area. You can bring a lunch and sit outside at the top or enjoy the restaurant.

It’s a great place to learn and one of the largest mountains in the US. There’s amazing food on the mountain and at the base.

Great resort! Plenty of groomers that have a beautiful view of the lake and the mountains, and with so many different lifts, it’s hard to snowboard on the whole mountain in one day!

Overcrowded. Poor lift operations with many mechanical holds. Terrible grooming. Off piste was good over Christmas but still thin. January is back to groomers with no fresh snow since Christmas which was a miracle. Drought cycle in western US is painful.

If you’re looking for the steepest, most technical and exciting terrain in California, Palisades Tahoe is the spot. Especially on a powder day.

The lift lines get busy on the weekends because of its popularity but mid-week skiing is almost like having the mountain to yourself.

The iconic lines of Palisades are what draw people in. And the recognizable charm of the apres ski scene at bars like Le Chamois and The Slot are what keep people around for a drink. Or a few.

There is no better mountain in California.

I love coming to Palisades because they have a beautiful view while snowboarding. They have a good diversity between green blue and blacks. And they have great snow that holds throughout the season.

Very upscale and tons of different kinds of runs, the full blue mountain run was also really great.

Don’t bother coming, I already skied all the powder. Jokes aside, this is my home mountain and it slaps. Long live Squaw Valley.

Great snow views and slopes! Can get a bit crowded on weekends though, lift lines for Siberia can get quite long. Food options aren’t that great, very expensive. To take a break from the crowds visit the alpine valley side.

Best place for open terrain and powder days in the spring. Really family friendly and there’s always activities in the village

Palisades joined two great slopes the former Olympic ski area Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. Parking on the Alpine Meadows side is way easier than the Squaw side, and it still had that old school charm. The palisades side is all new with a nice village and solid dining / apres choices. The variable terrain offers runs for most levels, my favorite is the bowls on the alpine side. There was plenty of powder the day I was there and great places to find untracked powder. Plenty of challenging runs for those who like extreme skiing.