Palisades Tahoe to Open Silverado Lift

The recent dump around Tahoe pushed Palisade Tahoe’s snow total to over 300 inches for the year on the upper mountain, and the resort is eyeing to open the legendary Silverado chairlift.

The lift is tucked away on the backside of the upper mountain, and it holds some of the best terrain that Palisades has to offer. If you’ve skied at Palisades for a few years, you understand the delicate balance needed to open Silverado.

Not enough snow and the rugged terrain doesn’t fill in enough; too much snow and the lift gets buried, and it takes countless man hours to cut the cat track, dig out the lift, maintain snow safety, and properly mark off the terrain.

However, there is good news on the horizon.

In a recent blog post , Palisades announced they are commencing operations to open Silverado. On Monday, they were able to cut a cat track from the Oregon Trail below Solitude under Silverado terrain to the bottom of the lift.

It’s a technical and treacherous task cutting this road, and it is not taken lightly by the operations team. The road is a crucial first step to getting the lift open to move materials and people to start the rest of the process.

From there, the team will dig out the base of the lift and ski patrol will ensure the snowpack is safe, mark off boundary lines, and put up signage.

Here’s another blog post from Palisades that gives insight into the process of opening Silverado.

Growing up skiing around Tahoe, I’ve gotten to enjoy Silverado only a handful of times. It’s an elusive beast. It’s the Goldilocks chair that requires not too much, not too little, but just the right conditions.

Here's a video from the 2019 Red Bull Raid that took place on Silverado.

But the days I have skied it have proved to be memorable. While KT-22 is the favorite of many a big mountain riders at Palisades, Silverado gives KT a run for its money in terms of access to terrain.

It’s sometimes described as its own mountain within the boundaries of Palisades because it is semi-secluded from the rest of the mountain. The lift gives access to so many cliff lines, chutes, and steeps, that the mind goes wild thinking of all the possibilities.

Tahoe riders are chomping at the bit to put down some lines on SIlverado, and the resort acknowledges this. They recommend staying patient, prepared, and continuing to check their lift schedule.