By Nolan Karlitz
It’s the start of December, and everyone is getting ready for the first ski day; but the real question of the matter is, “What resort are we going to?”
Let’s look at last year’s first opener to give us a gauge for who we should expect.
As of last year, Mt. Rose opened first on November 8th, 2024. Mt. Rose typically is the first resort to open because of its dramatic base elevation of 8,260 vertical feet, and the peak at a staggering 9,700 vertical feet. It officially opened on November 21, 2025, and the conditions on the camera look pretty good, despite the low amount of snow and looks like they got a few snowblowers running.
Mt. Rose claims to have a base depth of 12-20”, so not the best conditions, but we are hoping that the high pressure zone drops over the tahoe region so we can get some cold winds from Alaska heading through the lake valley.
The group favorite, Kirkwood, which officially opened on December 5, 2025. Kirkwood conditions via the webcams are looking pretty good so far, and kirkwood claims to have a 8” base depth. Though, the peaks could use a good dump to lock in the snow at the top alongside with low winds to keep a good depth on the cliffs. Lots of area around the trees and brush looks quite bare, and not snow intense in any matter.
Speaking of Epic resorts, Northstar is supposed to be opening December 6, 2025, however, conditions are looking quite terrible. The main run looks to have spots of rocks and lots of brush popping out throughout the run. The peak also has a low snow pack, maybe a maximum of 3” of snow, though I’m not sure how we would get up to the peak, seeing that the zephyr lift has no snow around it for a line.
Another Epic resort, Heavenly resort opened on November 25, 2025, with only one run being open. Working at Sports Basement in walnut creek, I hear a lot of feedback on people’s experiences. Many say it was quite crowded and that they felt the man-made snow had already packed up with water moisture and ice. Heavenly is typically Epic resorts tourist attraction with the breathtaking views of the lake and sky trams.
Palisades, formerly known as Squaw Valley, located in the Olympic Valley in the Tahoe region has reported their opening date to be December 6, 2025. The major let down of the resort is known for their steep and challenging terrain, the only thing opening is their bunny hill! Palisades’ conditions are looking the worst out of all of the resorts, so hopefully we have some change in the forecast soon.
So for early December, I think our best to ski or board option right now is looking like Heavenly, however I have heard the best news about Mammoth from a lot of people coming into Sports Basement, and the Webcams look pretty promising.
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