What does an Incline Village resident with an IVGID Picture Pass pay for an adult season pass at Diamond Peak this winter? $513, the same as last winter. The price stayed the same, but now it has an end date.
Last season, the IVGID resident rate held from Nov. 1 through mid-March. This season, the IVGID Pass Holder Deals page calls that same rate "Prewinter," ends it on Dec. 18 and adds a new "Regular" tier starting Dec. 19. The Regular prices are listed as TBD. The resort calls the change "New for 2026," and says IVGID season pass prices will rise in mid-December along with public passes. The mountain turns 60 this month, and the biggest change for locals so far is on the calendar, not on the slopes.
Same Rates as Last Winter, Shorter Window
Here is the resident season-pass schedule for both winters, with each season's November rate.
| IVGID Picture Pass holder | 2025-26 rate, Nov. 1 to mid-March | 2026-27 rate, Nov. 1 to Dec. 18 | 2026-27 rate from Dec. 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult, 24-64 | $513 | $513 | TBD |
| Youth, 13-23 | $309 | $309 | TBD |
| Child, 7-12 | $170 | $170 | TBD |
| Senior, 65-69 | $309 | $309 | TBD |
| Super Senior, 70-79 | $136 | $136 | TBD |
| 6 and under, 80+ | $0 | $0 | TBD |
The price line is flat. Before this season, an Incline household could wait until after the holidays to buy passes and pay the November price. Under the 2026-27 schedule, that window closes Dec. 18.
For context, the public adult season pass costs $733 during the same prewinter window. That's $220 more than the resident rate. The $1,269 transferable pass costs the same for everyone, and the IVGID schedule gives it no discount. A few rules on the page affect which column a family lands in:
- Season-pass age is set by the pass holder's age on Dec. 1. After that date, it's set by age at the time of purchase.
- All season passes have to be bought online, and IVGID Picture Pass status is checked before a purchase is fulfilled.
- IVGID Recreation Punch Cards don't qualify for the discounted season pass rates. They only discount daily lift tickets.
- Diamond Peak passes have no blackout dates.
About Two Weeks Between Opening Day and the Cutoff
Diamond Peak plans to open on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026, conditions permitting. If the snow arrives on time, pass holders get a little over two weeks on the mountain before the Dec. 18 cutoff. That means a family can ski opening week before deciding on season passes, but not much longer.
Dec. 19 matters for daily tickets too. It's the first day of the first peak period on the resident daily lift ticket schedule:
| IVGID daily lift ticket, 2026-27 | Value | Weekend | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult, 24-64 | $40 | $40 | $50 |
| Youth, 13-23, and Senior, 65-79 | $35 | $35 | $45 |
| Child, 7-12 | $30 | $30 | $35 |
| Beginner | $33 | $33 | $35 |
Peak periods this season run Dec. 19, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027; Jan. 16 to 18; and Feb. 13 to 21. Value periods cover every non-peak weekday, and weekend rates apply on every non-peak Saturday and Sunday. Resident daily tickets aren't sold online. You show your Picture Pass at the ticket windows on the day you ski, and you may be asked for a second photo ID. Picture Pass holders also have to be there in person to buy. For Punch Card holders, the resort suggests keeping a phone photo of the card, since it can't look cards up in its system.
The $60 Days Are Mostly a Deal for Visitors
The anniversary itself is easy to date. Diamond Peak opened as Ski Incline on Nov. 19, 1966, and it was the first resort in the West to use a man-made snowmaking system. The resort celebrated its 60th season last winter. Because the actual anniversary falls in November, it's keeping the "Diamond" celebration going through 2026-27.
The anniversary promotion is the $60 Deal Days. On those days, every paid single-day lift ticket is $60 when bought online. The dates are:
- Opening Day, Dec. 3, conditions permitting
- Tuesday, Jan. 12
- Monday, Feb. 8
- Wednesday, March 17, St. Patrick's Day
- Closing Day, date TBD
Tickets go on sale in mid-November, and no other discounts can be combined with the offer.
Compare those dates with the resident chart. Dec. 3, Jan. 12, Feb. 8 and March 17 are all non-peak weekdays, so they fall in the value period, when an adult with a Picture Pass pays $40 at the window. The $60 price is a strong deal for friends and relatives visiting from elsewhere, and a reason to plan a ski day with them on one of those dates. A resident buying their own ticket at the IVGID window pays less.
The anniversary has a few other parts. Local artist Bryn Merrell designed a commemorative poster based on one of the resort's panoramic lake views from the slopes. Free copies are available at Diamond Peak's special events and at the Diamond Peak Sports Shop in the Base Lodge. A Fireside Chat series with current and former employees will be held in the Fireside Room next to the Loft Bar. The resort is also collecting stories and photos from the Ski Incline years at [email protected].
What's New at the Base This Season
There are no new lifts this season. The changes are concentrated at the bottom of the mountain:
- Snowmaking: A TechnoAlpin TT10 tower-mounted fan gun and a TR10 movable fan gun have been added in the base area, where several trails meet and the lift loading areas need extra snow.
- Lessons: Beginner group lessons at the Ski & Ride Center, for ages 7 and up, now run 2.5 hours, from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The Children's Ski & Ride Center, for ages 4 to 6, adds a noon slot for first-timers.
- Food: The new Get Lifted Coffee + Waffles trailer will appear in the Base Area Plaza on busy weekends and holidays, serving espresso drinks, waffles and hot chocolate.
- Après: Friday Fundays brings DJ Dom Morelli and friends to the Loft Bar on select Fridays, moving out to the Loft Bar Sun Deck when the weather allows. Dates will be posted on the resort's events calendar.
The longer lessons help with the timing problem. A child who starts in a 2.5-hour lesson in the first week can show a family by mid-December whether a season pass is worth buying.
Opening Weekend Coincides With Northern Lights
If the Dec. 3 opening holds, the first weekend of skiing overlaps with the start of the Incline Village Crystal Bay Business Association's Northern Lights holiday calendar. The first week's listings include:
- Dec. 3-6: Tahoe Film Fest
- Dec. 4: Lake Tahoe School Holiday Markets, the BGCNLT Holiday Tree Lighting and the first night of Hanukkah
- Dec. 4-6: St. Patrick's Nativities Around the World Christmas Crèche Exhibit
- Dec. 5: The Northern Lights Community Celebration, 3 to 5 p.m. at UNR Lake Tahoe's Prim Library
- Dec. 5 and 8: North Tahoe Community Choir Christmas Concert
When the Community Celebration ends on Dec. 5, the Diamond Peak Season Kickoff Party starts at 6 p.m. at Alibi Ale Works Incline Public House, 931 Tahoe Blvd., and runs until 9. Entry is free. Food, drinks and raffle tickets are for sale, ugly sweaters are encouraged, and there are prizes for best-dressed. The listing invites people to come straight over from the celebration.
The rest of the calendar runs up to the pass deadline. Jingle & Mingle shopping and TFS Brunch with Santa are both Dec. 12. Tahoe Philharmonic's Handel's Messiah and the opening night of the three-day Tahoe Nutcracker run are both on Dec. 18, the last day of prewinter pricing.
Snowflake Lodge Is Still in Design
The next decade at the mountain is in early planning. On Sept. 23, the IVGID Board approved an $811,332 contract with CCY Architects for 30% design of a Snowflake Lodge replacement. With change orders, the contract can reach $892,332. The working program calls for roughly 10,000 to 11,000 square feet, up to 160 indoor and 150 outdoor seats, and event capacity of about 120. According to IVGID's Snowflake Lodge FAQ, the Board has not approved construction, a construction budget, financing or a parcel assessment. A proposed contract for a Diamond Peak Capital Improvement Financial Plan is on the Board's November agenda.
Diamond Peak's September status update lists the other capital work as separate projects, each subject to design and review. IVGID is evaluating a replacement for the Lakeview lift. The first phase of a broader snowmaking replacement is expected to start construction in May 2027, and turning the Schoolhouse lift into surface lifts is slated to begin installation in May 2028.
This winter, season pass holders get one special morning at the current Snowflake Lodge. On a February 2027 date still to be set, Diamond Peak will open the Lakeview chairlift at 8 a.m., an hour early, for season pass holders only, with pastries, fruit and coffee at Snowflake Lodge. To be on that early lift, you need a season pass, and buying it by Dec. 18 locks in the same rate as last winter.
Diamond Peak's pass calendar now shapes the first weeks of winter in Incline Village, and an Incline home's value depends partly on what's around it, including the community-owned mountain up the hill. If you're thinking about selling, or just want to know where your property stands this season, Soni Jackson is glad to help. Request a personalized home valuation, and we'll walk you through what's moving in Incline Village and Crystal Bay right now.
