Skier Frontflips Off Palisades Tahoe’s Most Challenging Trail

Olympic Valley, California — There’s this cliché in the ski industry: if you ski [literally any ski area or region here], you can ski anywhere. It’s not entirely true. As a Sunapee skier, I don’t think it prepared me for at least 25% of Snowbird’s terrain. However, I will say that this cliché is definitely true in one instance: if you can ski the Eagle’s Nest at Palisades Tahoe, you can ski anywhere.

Isaac Kaufman showed that he can ski anywhere by being the first to ski the Eagle’s Nest during the 2025-26 season. Also known as McConkey’s, this rock face requires precise moves to stomp it. Or else you hit a tree. Kaufman not only landed it, but also stomped a frontflip.

Scott Gaffney, who is a legendary Palisades Tahoe skier, praised Kaufman for his skills in the comments section:

 “I like the pride in opening it up for the year. I got it first 5 seasons in a row back in the early-mid 2000s. That would clearly be way harder to do today with the talent pool out there. You have to ski it with barely any snow…kinda like you just did.”

Palisades Tahoe continues to grow its trail and lift count thanks to the massive storm last week. Currently, the California ski resort has 174 trails and 32 lifts open. More snow is expected in the days ahead.

Image/Video Credits: Isaac Kaufman, Palisades Tahoe

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