180+mph Winds Damage Chairlift Terminal At California Ski Resort
At Palisades Tahoe, CA, high winds put operations on hold over the weekend, with the resort bouncing back for a slightly delayed start on Monday morning. Alpine Meadows saw the same treatment, and even today, things are slowly making a comeback.
Specifically, the Summit upper terminal had windows blown out from 180+ mph winds, filling with snow. See Alpine Mountain Manager Jeff Goldstone's video below.
The Summit upper terminal this morning! This is why we appreciate your patience! Here, 180+ mph winds blew out some windows, filling it with snow. We must clear this area before we can start spinning the chair.
Video: Jeff Goldstone, Alpine Mountain Manager#palisadesops pic.twitter.com/cDsmZnDo7e— Palisades Tahoe Mtn Ops (@palisadesops) March 4, 2024
Due to the events and current state of the chairlift terminal, mountain operations must clear the area before they can begin spinning the chair.
On Monday morning, Alpine mountain ops dealt with the results of the high winds and snow Sunday night, leaving a lot of snow to clean up yesterday before lift maintenance could even start working on the chair.
Alpine explains that "when things like this happen, ALL of the snow must be cleared out before the lift can spin."
Another post about Summit's wind-damaged terminal from Palisades Tahoe below.
Summit is currently spinning at this time. This is especially impressive considering how much work had to be done to get this lift back up and running besides the normal storm recovery operations.
On the Palisades side, upper mountain lifts are on the schedule for today, and conditions are looking slightly better than yesterday.
Tower 4 of the Funitel has been dug out to address the cabin clearance issue.
As of 9:30am, KT-22, Red Dog, Resort Chair, First Venture, and Ahsoka are open, with the Tram, Funitel, Wa She Shu, Siberia Express, Gold Coast Express, and the Base to Base Gondola, Bailey's Beach, Mountain Meadow, Big Blue, Solitude, and Shirley Lake on wind hold.
Granite Chief, Broken Arrow, Silverado, High Camp Carpet, Belmont, Emigrant, Headwall Express, Far East, Olympic Lady, and Exhibition are closed.
On the Alpine Meadows side, Summit Express, Roundhouse, Treeline Cirque, Scott, Meadow, Big Carpet, Lakeview, Sherwood Express, and Subway are open, with Alpine Bowl Chair, Yellow Chair, and Kangaroo closed at this time.
Whichever mountain you choose, there are more options than yesterday, and after a weekend of full closures, it's a welcome sight to see people skiing Palisades/Alpine.
Related: National Weather Service Releases Storm Totals For Tahoe Ski Resorts
Don't miss another headline from POWDER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing.
We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging ski-related videos to feature on our channels. Whether you're a professional or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on POWDER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality ski videos.
