Olympic Valley's Opening Stretch, Before Parking Reservations and the Mountaineer Start

Palisades Tahoe plans to open on Wednesday, November 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. As always, which lifts and terrain run that day depends on weather and conditions. The two systems that shape a winter weekend in the valley start later. Weekend parking reservations begin on December 5, and the free, on-demand Mountaineer shuttle starts its 2026-27 schedule the same day. That leaves a short opening stretch of about ten days, Thanksgiving weekend included, that works differently from the rest of the season.

The ten days the reservation calendar skips

The resort's 2026-27 parking calendar lists every date that needs a reservation, and the list starts in December.

Thanksgiving weekend, November 28 and 29, isn't on the list. The parking program page says that on the dates it covers, Saturdays, Sundays and select holidays, "a parking reservation will be required for ALL parking lots." On non-holiday weekdays, parking at both Palisades and Alpine is free and first come, first served.

The second column matters just as much. The Mountaineer schedule runs December 5, 2026, through April 18, 2027. Olympic Valley service runs daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and service between the two valleys runs daily from 5 to 11 p.m. Before December 5, a ride from a condo near the Village to dinner across the valley, or from Olympic Valley to Alpine Meadows, means driving or getting a ride. So the open-parking stretch and the no-shuttle stretch cover the same ten days, and for anyone who lives in the valley, everything in the next three sections assumes a car.

What reopens on November 25

Two projects from this summer and fall shape the first runs of the season. The first is the Aerial Tram. According to the resort's October 28 tram update, the tram's V-shaped riveted aluminum hangers, the pieces that attach the cabins to the carriages, have been replaced with single-column steel hangers from Garaventa. The resort calls it the first new look for the tram in nearly sixty years. The same project replaced the haul ropes and took apart and rebuilt the carriages. Four Swiss specialists, two engineers from Doppelmayr/Garaventa and two electricians from Sisag, installed the hangers alongside Palisades crews. David "Coach" Peters and Jimmy King led the work locally, and tram engineer Red Bloomer helped direct the project. After state inspectors test it, the tram is expected to open to the public on Opening Day. The resort says riders should expect a similar ride, possibly a bit smoother, with a freshly painted cabin interior.

The second is snowmaking on Mountain Run, the main route from the upper mountain down to the Palisades base. The resort expanded snowmaking along it this summer to support top-to-bottom skiing in the early season. In its preseason roundup of resort openings, the Tahoe Daily Tribune also listed the resort's $3.2 million investment in remote avalanche control and three new diesel-electric snowcats.

Across the valley, Everline Resort & Spa has been closed since November 2. The resort and all its outlets are scheduled to reopen after November 24. When it reopens, Cascades will serve its full breakfast buffet seven days a week.

Thanksgiving weekend, day by day

Thanksgiving falls on the second day of the season, and the valley's events cluster from Thursday to Sunday.

Thursday, November 26. Olympic House is serving a Thanksgiving buffet with carving stations and seasonal sides, with seatings at 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. A VIP upgrade, capped at 60 guests, includes a reserved table in the remodeled Apex Lounge, a bottle of wine, expanded desserts and s'mores at the fire pits. Ikon Pass holders get $10 off dinner, but the discount doesn't apply to gratuity or the VIP upgrade. The resort's booking page lists the adult dinner at $95 plus $17.10 gratuity, or $112.10 total. At Everline, Cascades is serving a family buffet from 2 to 8 p.m. for $120 per person and $75 per child under 12, plus tax and gratuity. Six Peaks Grille is serving a Thanksgiving dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. for $100, plus tax and gratuity.

Friday, November 27. Everline's holiday lineup includes a Bloody Mary bar at Cascades from 7 to 11 a.m., Breakfast with Santa from 7 to 10 a.m., which runs November 27 to 29, and a tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. The lobby's gingerbread display starts November 24, the kids' playroom is open November 26 to 30 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and a Turkey Feather Hunt is listed for November 29 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Everline Sport Shop is taking 40% off select items November 26 to 30.

Saturday, November 28. This is the fullest day of the weekend. Welcome to Winter is free, open to all ages and held in The Village. The schedule:

• 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.: The Get Rich Quick, a Truckee-based Americana band, plays the Events Plaza
• 3:30 to 3:45 p.m.: Welcome to Winter raffle on the Events Plaza stage, and you must be present to win
• 3:45 to 4 p.m.: alphorn performance in the Tram Plaza
• 4 to 4:50 p.m.: FORGED unveiling in the Tram Plaza
• 4:50 to 5:05 p.m.: a second alphorn performance

FORGED is the resort's annual tribute to the athletes, coaches, families, mentors and community members who helped shape the mountain, and new names are added to the installation each year. Spending $50 or more that day at Parallel, Roark, The Ledge, Patagonia, Leffler Leather Goods, Gallery Keoki, Mind Play, Lather & Fizz or Surefoot earns a raffle ticket.

Sunday, November 29. Like Saturday, the parking calendar doesn't list Sunday as a reservation date.

The Village on its posted hours

Village hours aren't uniform, and several kitchens close midweek, so a weeknight dinner plan in the first week of the season needs a check against the calendar. Here's what the resort's hours page currently posts.

So on Opening Day, a Wednesday, Fireside Pizza and Rocker are both posted as closed. Tremigo, Twenty-Two Bistro & Bar, Auld Dubliner and Uncorked are posted as open into the evening. For groceries and gifts, Alice's Mountain Market is posted daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Gallery Keoki daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most of the outdoor and gear shops, including Patagonia, The North Face and Parallel Mountain Sports, are posted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Surefoot is by appointment. The page tracks the season, so a quick check the morning of is worth it.

There's also a reason to keep receipts from these ten days. Under Shop, Dine, and Ski Free, every $850 spent at qualifying Palisades Tahoe retail or food and beverage businesses from November 20 through December 26 earns one unrestricted adult lift ticket for the 2026-27 season. Purchases at both Palisades and Alpine count. Lodging, activities, passes, lift tickets and Ticket Packs don't. Receipts are redeemed at any Ticket & Pass Office. That window starts before the opener and runs through Christmas, so Thanksgiving dinners and early holiday shopping in the Village can go toward it.

What to set up before December 5

The opening stretch ends on a Saturday. On December 5 and 6, weekend reservations apply at every lot, and the next reservation weekend follows on December 12 and 13. The holiday block runs from December 19 into January 3.

Some of the setup can't wait until that week:

1. Make a new account. The Reserve 'N Ski platform was rebuilt for this season, and every user has to create a new account before booking, even if you had one last winter.
2. Know the release times. Free reservations for the coming weekend are released every Tuesday at noon and 7 p.m. Paid advance reservations cost $30 per day.
3. Plan around carpools. A carpool now means four or more people in a vehicle. Carpools still need a reservation on peak days, and qualifying drivers get a $20 resort-credit voucher.
4. Download the Mountaineer app. Rides are requested through the app once service starts on December 5, and the operator posts schedule changes there.

A full-day private lesson includes a complimentary same-day parking reservation, and guests staying at The Village at Palisades get heated underground parking for one vehicle. Everyone else drives in on the reservation calendar from December 5 on.

If the tram's first runs and an unreserved Thanksgiving weekend have you thinking about a place of your own in Olympic Valley, Becky Arnold Real Estate knows which streets sit within walking distance of the Village and which ones depend on the Mountaineer all winter. Start your Tahoe search with a call to Becky for west‑shore expertise.