home of the Pure Awesomeness Factor Better Data, Better Skiing

Sun Bowl

Black diamond Palisades Tahoe, CA

Steepest pitch31°
Vertical870 ft
Length4,465 ft
Average pitch12°
FacesSE
Top8,616 ft

Sun Bowl drops 870 vertical feet over 4,465 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 31° about 680 feet below the top. That's steeper than 64% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 47th steepest of 115 named runs at Palisades Tahoe. It faces southeast.

How well Sun Bowl holds snow

Snow preservationPoor

Facing southeast at an average 12°, Sun Bowl gets about 138% of the winter sun that flat ground at Palisades Tahoe does, December through March. That's sunnier than 95% of the runs we've measured, and the sunniest named run at Palisades Tahoe. Its top sits at 8,620 feet.

Angled toward the low winter sun, it bakes: powder turns heavy soon after a storm, and in spring it softens early in the day and refreezes hard overnight. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Sun Bowl profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Sun Bowl elsewhere

Nearby at Palisades Tahoe

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.