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🙋‍♀️ What does a super El Niño mean for Lake Tahoe high Sierra snow 2026-27 ❄️ snow quality & lowest elevation 🌨️ snow line?

This winter’s super El Niño will bring precipitation galore but higher elevation snow due to warm tropical fronts so 8k+ feet snowfall will be typical for this winter, and Mammoth has the highest elevation in California

It looks like we’ll be doing multiple trips to the eastern Sierra this winter if the snow forecast holds regarding higher snow line

Also, multiple trips to Utah too.. Brian Head Resort, Alta Ski Area, and Snowbird are among the highest-elevation resorts in Utah, with top elevations exceeding 11,000 feet, ensuring high-quality snow.

In "Super" El Niño winters, the snow line in Lake Tahoe often fluctuates dramatically. While snow falls down to the lake level (6,225 ft) during cold storms, warm "Pineapple Express" systems frequently push the snow line up to between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, resulting in rain at the basin base

Lake Level (6,225 ft): During the peak of cold, intense storms, snow accumulates at lake level, though it often turns to slush quickly

Pass Level (7,000 to 7,500 ft): The elevation of major passes like Donner Summit and Echo Summit. During strong El Niño storms, this is often the transition zone where precipitation alternates between heavy rain and dense snow

Upper Resort Level (8,000 to 9,000 ft): Where the snow line generally holds during warmer subtropical storm systems. This leaves resort bases (like Palisades Tahoe) vulnerable to rain, while upper elevations receive massive dumps of dense powder.

Historic "Super" El Niño years, such as 1982-1983 and 1997-1998, are famous for producing both record-breaking snowfall totals (up to 67 feet in 1983) and devastating mid-winter rain events that caused severe flooding up to the Truckee River

🏂⛷️❄️ Love to ski, snowboard or know someone who does? Share this post with them:

Join SnowPals.org to expand your circle of pals for ski, ride trips to Tahoe and beyond, max out your Ikon Pass Epic Pass (we’re celebrating 27 years of snow sports community, 8k+ members)

Can’t get enough skiing in?

Join us for endless winter in the southern hemisphere in Chile 🇨🇱 Argentina 🇦🇷 & New Zealand 🇳🇿 to shred freshies

August 1-8 trip to Valle Nevado Ski Resort booked out; waitlist available.

Taking sign ups for this upcoming winter ski trips to

✅ Utah
✅ Colorado
✅ Jackson Hole Wyoming
✅ Whistler Blackcomb British Columbia
✅ Japanese Alps JaPOW trips to Niseko, Hakuba
✅ Italian, French, Swiss Alps
✅ Austria
✅ other last minute small group trips based on & OpenSnow 5-7 days snow freshies forecast

Historical super El Niño winter:

https://yourtahoeguide.com/2015/11/el-nino-83-a-monster-winter-part-i/

https://www.reddit.com/r/tahoe/comments/1tal9xz/el_ni%C3%B1o_and_tahoe/

San Francisco Oakland Marin skiers, snowboarders happy hour meetup after the workday

Thursday June 11

🍻

Connect 🤝 w/ SF skiers, snowboarders for 2026-27 winter Tahoe 🏂⛷️ Trips 🚐🚙🚠 & powder hound trips ✈️ to ski resorts on Ikon Pass Epic Pass

Where: San Francisco

RSVP Eventbrite👇

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/end-of-skisnowboard-season-meetup-off-season-recreate-tickets-1990829976050

UCSF UOP

Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Heavenly Mountain
Northstar California Resort

Palisades Tahoe
Mammoth Mountain
Sierra

Super El Niño winter CAwx OpenSnow = mucho 🌨️❄️☃️🤞

SF Silicon Valley Santa Rosa Oakland skiers, snowboarders

Didn’t get enough skiing ⛷️🏂 in this wacky winter?

Join SnowPals.org to shred POW ❄️ to June

Mammoth Mountain, the only California resort currently open, pushed back closing date to June 7

Forecast yesterday, May 28:

25 F, feels like 18 F with wind gusts.

A chance of snow before 11am, then snow showers after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. High near 31. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. OpenSnow snowfall projected to be 5” from base to 10” at the top 🏔️

Three lifts will continue running through the final day:

Broadway Express,
Face Lift Express and
Chair 23

Note: there is absolutely no beginner terrain available. Terrain off the Chair 23 is for advanced skiers and riders only. Also note that Stump Alley Express (2) and The Mill are closed for the season. Additionally, the Panorama Gondola is now closed for its annual maintenance period

Hours remain 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, reflecting the reality of late-season conditions where the snow softens quickly in the afternoon sun

https://www.mammothmountain.com/on-the-mountain/mountain-report

“The extension is a fitting end to a season that nearly died multiple times. A below-average winter left the resort scrambling for snow through February and March. A record-breaking March heatwave melted the snowpack so fast that management publicly questioned whether they would make it past April. Then a late April storm cycle dumped several feet on the upper mountain and changed the math entirely.

Palisades Tahoe closed on May 24.

At 11,053 feet, Mammoth's elevation and north-facing terrain allow it to hold snow deeper into the season than any other resort in the state.

For anyone who wants one more week of spring turns before summer officially takes over, this is it.

Conditions are classic late-season corn snow in the mornings with soft, heavy snow by midday.” - Active NorCal

Get there early, make your turns and be off the mountain by noon, then bike, hike & sunset soak in the numerous hot springs available at Mammoth Lakes

https://whenyouwander.com/5-best-free-hot-springs-in-mammoth-lakes-california/

Considering buying an Ikon Pass so you can ski/ride now?

https://www.ikonpass.com/en/benefits/buy-now-ride-now

🚠🏡 2026-27 winter ski lease share lodgings are starting to list, browse listings:

https://www.snowpals.org/leases/

⭐️ Private ski lease listings for family, group of friends, rentals:

https://www.snowpals.org/tahoe-rentals/

Join in the latest events & activities at SnowPals.org

⭐️ Via Ferrata at Palisades

Via ferrata (Italian for "iron path") is a protected climbing route built into a mountain or cliff face. It consists of a continuous steel cable fixed to the rock, along with metal rungs, ladders, and suspension bridges. Climbers wear a harness and use a special shock-absorbing lanyard to clip into the cable, allowing them to safely scale steep, rugged terrain

⭐️ wake boarding with Rick this weekend, 5/30-5/31, interested?

⭐️ join FIFA WORLD CUP ⚽️ VIEWING PARTIES 🎉

⭐️ Julia and Yan hosts SF End of Season Meetup on Thursday June 11

⭐️ Maureen hosts a Meetup in the East Bay for Solo & Singles (with a soccer theme ⚽) ALL are welcome!!

Date: Fri June 26
Time: 5pm

What: World Cup Uruguay vs Spain

Where: Either Stadium Pub in WC or Primo in Danville

RSVP at SnowPals.org


Ikon Pass



Video credits: Mammoth Mountain

SF Silicon Valley Bay Area

🥾 join SnowPals.org weekend hike conditioning to get in top fitness shape to hike

✅ Yosemite National Park’s 🏞️

Glacier Point 7214 ft

Half Dome 8839 ft

Clouds Rest 9826 ft

Mount Dana 13,061 ft summit (2nd highest ⛰️ in CA)

✅ Mt Whitney 14,505 ft (California’s highest mountain summit)




Ikon Pass
Epic Pass

🎥 🥾⛰️ Mission Peak, Hayward CA

Time lapse POV:

https://x.com/snowpalsdotorg/status/2059765403879080213?s=46&t=mFBdkounaHx9OzjuUbRNjA