Palisades Tahoe's Surprise Powder Day Was One to Remember

I woke up way-too-early on Sunday, April 27, 2025 for what would presumably be an okay day on the mountain, at best. I was surprised, however, when the Palisades Tahoe app notified me at 6 a.m. that eight inches had fallen overnight and that more snow was on the way. I did roll my eyes at first, surely the resort was exaggerating snow totals, but I was awake, and figured it was worth a shot.

I took my time and arrived at the mountain around 9:30 a.m., and nobody was there. I should clarify, Palisades Tahoe is massive, so 200 cars in the lot isn't nobody, per se, but there were significantly less people than normal for a Sunday. All of the powder hounds underestimated the storm as well, I found out later.

I shuffled my way across the already-melting base area to the corral for the KT-22 lift. There was not a soul in line. As I looked up the mountain which was obscured by thick, low-lying clouds, I asked myself, "Did I make a big mistake? How good is it actually up there?" I gave the KT-22 lift attendant Dave a fist bump and rode the lift up by myself.

There was certainly fresh snow blanketing KT-22, but I was skeptical of the crust layer lurking beneath. As I watched skiers cautiously navigate GS Bowl from the chair, I made the quick determination that going to the upper mountain would be the move. I exited the chair to the skier's right and took the groomed run Saddle to make my way towards the Headwall Express.

As I came over a crest in Saddle, I looked off in the distance to an area called Enchanted Forest. I could see one or two tracks coming down, but the majority of this freeride-heavy zone was untouched and dare I say, it looked... good? I decided to give it a shot.

As soon as my skis left the groomed surface of Saddle my face lit up with delight. The snow was soft, fairly deep, and fun. I banked a right and splashed my way through boot-deep powder all the way to the Headwall lift. I found the crust layer when I carved a turn aggressively, but I couldn't believe how good the overall snow quality was. I hopped on the Headwall Express with stars in my eyes and powder fever burning hot.

Check out the video below of Ryan Faye skiing Adrenaline Chute on Headwall later in the morning.

Ryan Faye, Adrenaline Chute, Palisades Tahoe, April 27, 2025 (0:07)

Skiers and riders started to catch on that the skiing on Headwall was excellent, especially in the CII zone, but I didn't wait for a single lift line the entire day. When I eventually met up with my friends later in the morning, we skied hard, fast, and again, never waited in line. It was... lovely.

The entire day was filled with untouched powder laps, but a moment in Sun Bowl stood out as the best. I was chatting with my group of friends at the top of the Headwall Express about our next lap. Should we ski The Slot or go back to CII? Then, I looked over my shoulder as a ski patroller was flipping a sign from CLOSED to OPEN on Sun Bowl, a mellow but long and wide-open bowl that was sitting directly below us, completely untouched.

We asked the patroller, "Can we drop?", he replied, "Yeah, sure," and we were off to the races. We didn't know what kind of snow to expect, but we quickly learned that it was best of the day. We hooted and hollered as we blazed down the open bowl five skiers wide. The snow was roughly boot deep, fast, and borderline-blower on top. We got to the bottom and collectively agreed, "We have to do that again."

Fresh snow is often skied out quickly at Palisades Tahoe, but considering the mountain was empty, we simply had to traverse a few dozen feet to find another wide open patch of the bowl. I threw on my GoPro as we dropped in for another party lap of powder turns. See below.

Sun Bowl, Palisades Tahoe, CA, April 27, 2025 (0:48)

Earlier in the week I had been riding my mountain bike in spring temps. I just was starting to mourn the end of cold weather and snow when Mother Nature dropped a tasty treat for us in late April.

It was a reminder that despite technology, the news cycle, and constantly being plugged in, life's surprises are more important than ever.

I may forget some of the specifics of the surprise powder day on April 27, 2025, but I certainly won't forget how it made me feel.