Buy a Lake Tahoe License Plate, Get Free Skiing This Winter

Need a new license plate? No? You should probably get a new one, anyway.

The “Plates for Powder” program is back and, with it, comes the opportunity to score free skiing. California and Nevada drivers can participate by buying a “Plates for Powder” plate. The deal applies to plates purchased between November 1, 2025, and April 1, 2026.

They cost $50 in California and $61 in Nevada, with $40 renewal fees in California and $30 in Nevada. While supplies last, the plates include a free lift ticket that can be redeemed at 13 participating alpine and nordic resorts around Lake Tahoe, covering Boreal Mountain Resort, Diamond Peak, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Homewood Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, Northstar California, Palisades Tahoe, Royal Gorge, Sugar Bowl Resort, Tahoe XC, Tahoe City Winter Sports Park and Tahoe Donner Cross Country.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

The free tickets to alpine resorts can’t be used during blackout dates in December, January, and February. The program’s website advised would-be plate buyers to check with ski resorts to confirm holiday blackout dates.

Still, it’s a good deal. A weekend day ticket at Palisades Tahoe in January, for instance, costs more than $200. The funds from the program support the construction of hiking and biking trails and watershed restoration projects around Lake Tahoe through the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Nevada Division of State Lands.

“The ‘Plates for Powder’ program is an incredible way for California and Nevada drivers to show their love for Tahoe while also giving back,” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund, a nonprofit that has organized “Plates for Powder” since 2011 on behalf of the Conservancy and the Division of Lands.

Funding from “Plates for Powder” has gone towards a planned fish passage structure in Incline Village and a new trail connection for the popular Tunnel Creek Trail, among other projects. 

As the plates roll out, the scheduled start of the Lake Tahoe ski season is only weeks away. Palisades Tahoe is eyeing November 26, 2025. Heavenly Mountain Resort plans to open on November 21, 2025. 

To grab a Tahoe plate, click here.

Related: Canadian Ski Resort Sunshine Village Claims Earliest Opening In at Least 40 Years