According to one tradition, the peak was named after Jacob S, Rose, an early settler, while another tradition states the mountain has the name of Rose Hickman, an early explorer.[9]
Mount Rose Ski Tahoe is nearby but is not on Mount Rose. Despite the name, the resort is actually on the slopes of Slide Mountain, which is on the other side of Nevada State Route 431.[10] The east slope of Slide Mountain, is the East Bowl of Mt. Rose. In 1964, the north side of Slide Mountain was named Mount Rose Ski Area and Reno Ski Bowl was renamed Slide Mountain Ski Area. In 1987 the two ski areas merged and began operation as one resort named Mt. Rose.[11]
Being a three-thousander and a mountain at a considerably high latitude, Mount Rose has (köppen: dsc) subarctic climate with long snowy winters and short, dry lukewarm summer. On average, the summit experiences four months with lukewarm temperatures (that being its summer from June–September) while the remainder of the year remains cold and chilly with frequent subzero temperatures. In contrast to the rest of Nevada, Mount Rose is plentiful in precipitation, and thus stands out from the state's predominantly hot semi-arid/desert climate.
Climate data for Mount Rose 39.3444 N, 119.9150 W, Elevation: 10,292 ft (3,137 m) (1991–2020 normals)
^Church, J.E. Jr. (June 1908). "Mount Rose Weather Observatory". Agricultural Experiment Station the University of Nevada. 67: 7. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
^"PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 6, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.