The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Mt. Rose holds a clear positional advantage over every other ski area in the Lake Tahoe region: a base elevation of 8,260 feet — the highest in Tahoe — sitting at roughly the same altitude as the summit of several neighbouring resorts. The ski area spreads across 1,200 acres on the slopes of Slide Mountain in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with 70 runs from base to a summit of 9,700 feet across a vertical of 1,440 feet.
The terrain profile is weighted toward skilled skiing: 20% beginner, 30% intermediate, 40% advanced and 10% expert, split across three main ski zones — the Rose side, the Slide side and the Winters Creek area — each with distinct character and aspect. The resort opened in 1953 as the Reno Ski Bowl and hosted the inaugural NCAA Skiing Championships in March 1954, establishing its credentials as a serious ski venue from its earliest years.
The defining feature of Mt. Rose is the Chutes — a series of north and east-facing double-black diamond lines delivering 1,500 feet of continuous vertical at gradients between 40 and 55 degrees, with some sections of unbroken steep terrain exceeding 1,000 feet.
The California Ski Industry Association describes the Chutes as offering some of the longest continuous vertical in North America for inbounds extreme terrain, a claim that draws expert skiers specifically for that characteristic. The Chutes access point from Winters Creek Lodge keeps this terrain separated from the main family traffic, and conditions there are frequently better than the groomed frontside — wind loading from storms deposits accumulation into the chute faces, often producing deeper powder in the Chutes than snowfall totals alone would indicate.
1,437ft
Vertical
70
Runs
1,200 acres
Skiable
29ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
70 runs across 1,200 acres skiable
Mount Rose spreads 70 runs across 1,200 acres skiable of terrain. It leans advanced at 40%, with 14 beginner runs to find your feet and 35 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
70
runs
70 runs across 4 grades
Beginner14 runs · 20%
Intermediate21 runs · 30%
Advanced28 runs · 40%
Expert7 runs · 10%
Time it right
When to visit Mount Rose
Mt. Rose operates from early November through to late April, with the 2025/26 season running 8 November to 27 April — one of the longer seasonal windows in the Lake Tahoe region, enabled by the highest base elevation in Tahoe and the predominantly north and east-facing aspects that preserve snow quality well into spring.
The resort averages over 350 inches of annual snowfall, and the elevation at 8,260 feet means the base holds cold temperatures and dry snow conditions on days when lower-elevation Tahoe resorts are dealing with rain or heavy wet snow. The current 2025/26 season has accumulated a base depth of approximately 60 inches with a season total exceeding 170 inches as of early March, reflecting consistent mid-winter snowfall at this elevation. One structural consideration: the exposed ridgeline position means wind holds and wind-affected snow quality are more frequent at Mt. Rose than at more sheltered Tahoe resorts, with the tradeoff that wind-deposited snow in the Chutes often arrives in volume when the frontside terrain has been scoured.
Spring skiing at Mt. Rose is consistently well regarded among Tahoe locals, with the 8,260-foot base holding cold temperatures and firm morning snow well into April when lower-elevation resorts are struggling with soft, variable conditions.
The north-facing Rose side groomers maintain excellent pitch and quality through the spring period, and the Chutes remain accessible and in competitive condition on good weather days through the extended season. The Fly & Ski programme offers discounted lift tickets for visitors presenting a same-day boarding pass from Reno-Tahoe International Airport — a direct acknowledgement of the airport's proximity and the resort's positioning as the obvious first stop for visitors flying into Reno for a Tahoe ski trip.
Season 2025 - 2026
8 Nov 2025
Opens
26 Apr 2026
Closes
169
Days open
29 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Mount Rose, and where to stay
Mt. Rose sits on Nevada State Route 431 in the Sierra Nevada, approximately 22 miles south-southwest of Reno and 11 miles from Incline Village on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. The drive from downtown Reno takes around 25 minutes under normal conditions — making Mt. Rose the closest ski resort to Reno and one of the more directly accessible large ski areas to a major airport in the western United States, with Reno-Tahoe International Airport around 30 minutes from the base lodge.
The same SR-431 highway connects the resort to Incline Village and the North Lake Tahoe shoreline in around 10-15 minutes, giving Mt. Rose an unusual dual catchment: Reno locals who can be on snow within half an hour of leaving home, and Tahoe visitors using the lake's North Shore as a base. The combination produces a visitor mix of Nevada regulars and out-of-state destination skiers that gives the resort a different atmosphere from the California-dominated resorts across the basin.
The resort operates under a Special Use Permit from the US Forest Service within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, placing it in a distinct administrative jurisdiction from most of the California-side Tahoe ski areas, which operate within the Tahoe National Forest.
The summit viewpoint at 9,700 feet delivers a perspective unavailable from any other Tahoe ski area: to the east, the terrain drops roughly 4,000 feet to the Reno basin and the Nevada high desert beyond, while to the west, Lake Tahoe is visible across the Sierra crest from the upper lifts. Incline Village, 11 miles down SR-431, provides the nearest concentration of lakeside accommodation, restaurants and services for visitors staying overnight in the region rather than commuting from Reno.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Mount Rose, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
FIS Weighs Holding World Championships in Almost Every Winter, Starting 2032
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation is looking at a major shake-up to its title events calendar. From 2032, World Championships could run not just in odd-numbered years but in every non-Olympic winter too, effectively putting a global title event on the calendar almost every season. The FIS Council has approved the concept following a feasibility study, though an accelerated rollout as early as 2028 is also under consideration.
4 Sept 2026
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Mount Rose Webcams
7 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Mount Rose's live webcams
Check live conditions across Mount Rose with 7 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Summit9,698ft
- Mt rose webcam at the Northwest Express summit at 2956 meters delivers the dual perspective that no other Tahoe ski area can match — east across the Sierra ridgeline to the Reno basin and Nevada high desert, west toward Lake Tahoe visible on clear days from the upper mountain. This live cam provides real-time summit visibility and wind assessment before dropping into the Chutes or the northwest-facing upper terrain, essential for advanced skiers targeting the most demanding runs at the highest-base resort in Tahoe. Check this mt rose webcam before any upper-mountain session to assess conditions where wind loading frequently deposits deeper powder into the Chutes faces than frontside snowfall totals indicate.
- Main Lodge8,261ft
- The main lodge base at 2518 meters is where most days at Mt Rose begin, and this mt rose webcam delivers real-time views of lift loading, crowd levels and base snow conditions before you make the 25-minute drive from Reno. Already sitting above the summit elevation of several competing Tahoe resorts, this base area sets the tone for 1,200 acres of frontside terrain accessed via the Zephyr Express and the broader lift network above. A practical daily reference for the resort's large local following checking conditions before taking advantage of the Tuesday 2-for-1 deal or Locals Sunday pricing at Tahoe's highest-base mountain.
- North View9,498ft
- Expert skiers targeting the Chutes should check this mount rose webcam at Kit Carson traverse at 2895 meters before committing — the north and east-facing double-black lines below deliver 1,500 feet of unbroken steep terrain at gradients between 40 and 55 degrees, described by the California Ski Industry Association as some of the longest continuous vertical for inbounds extreme terrain in North America. This live cam surveys Kit Carson Bowl and the upper terrain connecting to the Chutes access point, giving riders a real-time read on snow quality and visibility before dropping in. Wind-loaded faces here frequently hold deeper powder than frontside accumulation suggests, making this the most critical pre-session check on the mountain.
- Slide Bowl8,268ft
- Grooming conditions on Mt Rose's most popular intermediate terrain are visible through this mt rose webcam at Slide Bowl at 2520 meters, positioned beneath the Zephyr Express where the resort's primary cruising runs flow toward the main lodge with Carson Valley views across the Nevada high desert. This live cam reveals current snow quality and slope traffic on the runs that form the backbone of the ski day for most visitors — north-facing terrain where 8,260 feet of base elevation keeps the snow cold and dry well into spring when lower Tahoe resorts are softening. A reliable morning reference before the Reno crowd arrives on weekends.
- Winters Creek Lodge8,248ft
- The quieter side of the mountain is monitored by this mount rose webcam at Winters Creek Lodge at 2514 meters, where the separate base entry keeps the resort's expert terrain cleanly away from beginner and family traffic and provides the direct approach to the Chutes from below. This live cam shows lift operations and snow conditions at the staging point for Reno locals and experienced Tahoe skiers who bypass the main lodge entirely to access the advanced northwest terrain on the far side of the mountain. Check this before any Chutes session — and use it as a crowd gauge if the main lodge lot looks full on a busy Saturday.
- SR-431 Car Park Entry8,005ft
- Updated every 15 minutes, this mt rose webcam at the SR-431 car park entrance at 2440 meters gives Reno-based skiers real-time parking availability before completing the drive to Tahoe's highest-base resort. This live cam monitors lot capacity and access conditions at the point where the highway transitions into the resort zone — a practical pre-departure check that the mountain's large local following uses to time early arrivals ahead of the main weekend wave. Worth combining with the Dugway camera below before heading out on a post-storm morning when conditions on SR-431 can change quickly.
- SR-431 @ Mt. Rose Dugway7,700ft
- Road conditions on the approach to Mt Rose are visible through this mount rose webcam at the Dugway on SR-431 at 2347 meters — the high mountain pass connecting Reno to the North Lake Tahoe shore where chain controls and reduced visibility after storms most commonly affect the drive. Updated every 15 minutes, this live cam gives visitors the situational awareness to prepare appropriate traction equipment before leaving Reno-Tahoe International Airport on the same day under the Fly & Ski programme, or timing a weekday departure to beat the chain-control queue on the way up. The safety-first companion to the slope cameras before any winter drive to the mountain.
Mount Rose snow cams FAQ
How often do Mount Rose snow cams update?
All Mount Rose snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Mount Rose.
Which Mount Rose webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Summit webcam at 2,956m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Mount Rose webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Mount Rose lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Mount Rose snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Mount Rose snow cams?
Check Mount Rose webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Mount Rose lift tickets?
Use our Mount Rose webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Mount Rose webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Mount Rose snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Mount Rose intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.