Early season upper elevation snowfall has prompted Palisades Tahoe to give a green light to opening sections of the resort's upper mountain for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The following news release was issued by Palisades Tahoe on November 20, 2012...

[Olympic Valley, Calif.] November 20, 2012 – Palisades Tahoe has announced that the resort will be opening an incredible amount of terrain this Thanksgiving Day and throughout Thanksgiving weekend. Palisades Tahoe will be opening 13 lifts including seven lifts on the upper mountain – a rare occasion this early in the season. This will be the first time in ten years that Palisades Tahoe has opened Emigrant chairlift, located on one of Squaw’s highest peaks, for Thanksgiving Day.

The 13 lifts that are scheduled to be open Thanksgiving Day include the Funitel, Gold Coast Express, Shirley Lake Express, Emigrant, Solitude, Mountain Meadow, Belmont, Bailey’s Beach, the Aerial Tram, Squaw Creek, Red Dog, the Tucker carpet at SnoVentures and the Murphy carpet at Squaw Kids. The Belmont terrain park will also be open, offering 10 small to medium features.*

Palisades Tahoe is able to open the upper mountain thanks to the great early season snowfall and the resorts’ vastly improved snowmaking system. So far, Mother Nature has delivered 84 inches or 7 feet of snow to the resort’s upper mountain since October 22. Cold temperatures at higher elevations have also allowed the resort to make additional snow on the upper mountain, creating a solid base for skiing and riding this Thanksgiving.

In addition to skiing and riding, guests can also enjoy mountaintop ice skating at High Camp this Thanksgiving. Palisades Tahoe’s ice rink is located at 8,200 feet and offers spectacular views of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains. The ice rink will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Click here for more ice rink details.

For those looking to take full advantage of this winter season, Squaw and Alpine recently announced that the Tahoe Super Pass is now better than ever. Gold and Silver passholders now have access to Sierra-at-Tahoe, an added value dubbed the Tahoe Super Pass Plus. The Tahoe Super Pass Plus is available at www.tahoesuperpass.com starting at $519 for adult silver passes and $749 for adult gold passes.

Regular bronze Tahoe Super Passes are still available for $429, though they do not include access to Sierra-at-Tahoe. No matter which pass is the most suitable, skiers and riders are encouraged to buy now as prices are slated to increase as much as $100 after December 7. The resorts’ first-ever unrestricted college pass, valid at Palisades Tahoe and Alpine Meadows, starts at just $389, with prices guaranteed through December 17.