Mountains / Sierra

Mt Rose Ski Tahoe NV

8,2619,701 ft · long-term average 350" per season · window ticket ~$145 · prime window Jan–Feb

PassCast reseeded 2026-07-10 · season 2026-27
69SKIABILITY / 100Deep & reliable
Snow quantity 35%76
Season lean 30%60
Powder days 20%76
Bust risk 15%61
Median sim
356" (109% of typical)
P(above typical)
60%
Powder days
~19 (6"+ days)

80% of simulated seasons land between 173" and 540". Reseeded daily as ENSO observations, CPC outlooks, and SEAS5 runs update.

10,000 simulated 2026-27 seasonsENSO-weighted resampling of 36 real seasons (1990–2026) at Mt Rose Ski Tahoe, tilted by the live seasonal outlook

200"300"400"500"600"700"800"900"P10 173"P50 356"P90 540"typical 328"

Highlighted bars span the middle half of outcomes (P25–P75). The yellow dashed line is a typical season — the median of the last 36 at this mountain.

What's driving this forecast

ENSO: El Niño favored (99%)

The 2026-27 season is simulated by resampling Mt Rose Ski Tahoe's historical seasons weighted toward El Niño analog years. NOAA CPC El Niño Advisory (June 11, 2026): El Niño conditions are present and expected to strengthen into winter 2026-27, with a 63% chance of a very strong event (Niño3.4 ≥ +2.0°C) during Nov-Jan. CPC DJF strength odds: very strong 46%, strong 33%, moderate 16%. IRI (June 22) concurs at 98% El Niño for DJF.

Regional ENSO signal: favorable (weak)

Tahoe straddles the storm-track pivot: record 1982-83 El Niño snow, but the 1987 and 1992 strong events were droughts. High variance, low predictive value. Applied as a +2% tilt at partial weight.

Pre-season: climate drivers only

Day-to-day weather models have no skill this far out, so the near-term forecast contributes 0% weight today. The simulation leans entirely on ENSO-conditioned climatology — exactly what an honest seasonal outlook should do in summer. Weighting shifts toward live forecasts as opening day approaches.

The regional readSierra · from the 2026-27 outlook

Strong El Niño is the Sierra's classic wet card, but it's south-weighted and high-variance: 1982-83 and 1997-98 were all-timers, 2023-24 finished above normal, yet 2015-16 — the 'Godzilla' El Niño that was supposed to end the drought — gave Tahoe merely an average year. Mammoth and the southern Sierra carry the continent's best odds of an above-average season outside the Southwest; Tahoe is a better-than-even wet bet with real rain-line risk below 7,000 feet. Expect a back-loaded winter — January through March is when strong-Niño Sierra seasons detonate.

Full global outlook →

Month by monthENSO-conditioned analog medians vs a typical month — when this season should deliver

Nov128%Dec98%Jan141%Feb106%Mar116%Apr115%
Typical month (median)ENSO-conditioned lean, wetENSO-conditioned lean, dry

Prime window: Jan–Feb — the deepest contiguous stretch of the conditioned season. Aim the trip there.

The analog poolEvery season since 1990 at Mt Rose Ski Tahoe (ERA5, calibrated to the resort's reported average), colored by ENSO phase

200"375"575"775"1990-91: 235" (ONI +0.4)1991-92: 172" (ONI +1.7)1992-93: 451" (ONI +0.1)1993-94: 173" (ONI +0.1)1994-95: 519" (ONI +1.0)1995-96: 411" (ONI -0.9)1996-97: 349" (ONI -0.5)1997-98: 450" (ONI +2.2)1998-99: 447" (ONI -1.6)1999-00: 332" (ONI -1.7)2000-01: 215" (ONI -0.7)2001-02: 308" (ONI -0.1)2002-03: 337" (ONI +0.9)2003-04: 311" (ONI +0.4)2004-05: 380" (ONI +0.6)2005-06: 447" (ONI -0.8)2006-07: 211" (ONI +0.7)2007-08: 312" (ONI -1.6)2008-09: 269" (ONI -0.8)2009-10: 371" (ONI +1.5)2010-11: 524" (ONI -1.3)2011-12: 232" (ONI -0.7)2012-13: 200" (ONI -0.3)2013-14: 180" (ONI -0.3)2014-15: 146" (ONI +0.7)2015-16: 369" (ONI +2.6)2016-17: 688" (ONI -0.2)2017-18: 321" (ONI -0.8)2018-19: 575" (ONI +0.9)2019-20: 301" (ONI +0.6)2020-21: 244" (ONI -0.9)2021-22: 324" (ONI -0.8)2022-23: 708" (ONI -0.5)2023-24: 372" (ONI +1.9)2024-25: 416" (ONI -0.5)2025-26: 299" (ONI -0.4)19901995200020052010201520202025
La Niña winterNeutralEl Niño winterTypical winter (median)

Pass math for Mt Rose Ski Tahoe

Mt Rose Ski Tahoe isn't on a multi-resort pass — but you can still see what a season here is worth.

10days

No multi-resort pass covers these mountains — window tickets are the play.

Sources: ERA5 reanalysis & multi-model forecasts via Open-Meteo · NOAA CPC ONI, ENSO advisory & seasonal outlook · ECMWF SEAS5 · pass prices verified July 2026. See methodology for the honest fine print.