Palisades Tahoe Sidecountry
Olympic Valley / Alpine Meadows · near Olympic Valley / Tahoe City · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Backcountry Skiing
At a glance
- Vertical
- 2000
- Best season
- December–May · Best after significant snowfall on north-facing aspects
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Resort lift ticket required to access sidecountry gates. Granite Chief Wilderness (if extending beyond gate boundaries): no permit required for day use, but communicate plan with resort safety staff. Mandatory: beacon/probe/shovel to enter any gate.
Worth knowing
- Gear you must bring
- Beacon (MANDATORY to enter any resort gate) · Probe · Shovel · Valid lift ticket · Skins if extending beyond sidecountry boundaries · Helmet
- Gear worth bringing
- Airbag pack · Ice axe for steeper terrain beyond gates · Rope
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guides
- Blackbird Mountain Guides · International Alpine Guides
Backcountry Skiing detail
- Nickname
- Granite Chief Wilderness Access
- Directions note
- Park at the Palisades Tahoe base area
- Ates
- challenging
- Tour types
- sidecountry · day-tour
- Summit
- 9050
- Approach
- Lift-assisted access through resort gates · Skin out from gates if extending into Granite Chief Wilderness
- First timer with guide
- Yes
- Guide recommended
- Yes
- Avi zone
- Sierra Avalanche Center · sierraavalanchecenter.org
- Signature lines
- The Fingers / KT-22 Sidecountry · Silverado Sidecountry · Granite Chief Peak
- Intl tip
- The Palisades Tahoe resort village and Olympic Valley base area have been significantly developed over the past decade. The InterContinental hotel and various restaurants make it a viable base camp rather than just a ski area parking lot. Tahoe City (10 minutes east on Hwy 89) is the more authentic mountain town alternative for lodging.
The guide
Palisades Tahoe's sidecountry gates are one of the most popular entry points into backcountry skiing in California — because th…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Palisades Tahoe Sidecountry — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.1977, -120.2353