Follow the Northstar, the Northstar Resort that is.

Northstar Resort has invested more than $15 million in on-mountain and village improvements for the 2008-09 winter season.

Improvements include extending ski trails and an express quad lift on Lookout Mountain — one of the areas of the resort offering advanced ski terrain. There’s new snowmaking systems, improved glade skiing and added lift capacity.

A widening of the ski area boundaries increases the resort’s total skiable acreage by 414 acres to a total of 2,904 acres.

The new Martis Camp Express lift (formerly Lookout Express) will be a high-speed quad lift located inside the Martis Camp development, at the base of Lookout Mountain.

The lift line will be increased from 2,822 feet to 5,128 feet, with an increase in vertical drop from 1,247 feet to 1,722 feet.

Skiers will reach the top of the mountain in only six minutes. Martis Camp will have direct access to Northstar Resort.

Three existing advanced ski trails on Lookout Mountain are also being extended into Martis Camp: Prosser, Stampede and Martis, with snowmaking to be extended on Prosser and Martis.

To the east of these trails, a new intermediate trail named Washoe has been added, will also terminate at the base of the Martis Camp Express lift, and will feature top to bottom snowmaking, allowing the Lookout Mountain area of the resort to be open earlier than ever before.

Watch Video of Northstar’s
2008-09 Resort Improvements

More details on what’s new at Northstar Resort
More details on what’s new in The Village at Northstar

The resort is also investing in additional snowmaking upgrades for other areas of the resort and has purchased 16 new high-efficiency fan guns, 100 new low-energy stick snowmaking guns, and has retrofitted older snowmaking equipment, making it 24 percent more efficient and reducing the amount of resources needed to make snow.

Northstar Resort has performed tree-thinning work on Lookout Mountain, The Backside, Mount Pluto and in the Northwest Territory of the resort in an effort to provide for an enhanced glade skiing experience.

Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort is scheduled to open for winter operations on Nov. 22, weather and conditions permitting. For more information, visit www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com.