Sierra winter resorts have lots of new attractions for skiers, snowboarders

Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows received more than 700 inches of snow last season — that’s 60 feet! The jury is still out when it comes to the amount of snowfall expected this winter. (Photo courtesy Ski California)

By Bob Goligoski

Last winter, a bonanza of skiers and snowboarders descended on the Northern Sierra ski resorts. Lured by epic snowfalls, 7,118,427 skier and rider visits were recorded at the 32 member resorts that belong to Ski California, the trade organization of the California and Nevada resorts.

That number of visits was the highest since the winter of 2010-11.

Some 719 inches, or about 60 feet, fell at Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows. Down at the lower elevation lake level, Homewood got 600 inches of white gold.

Will there be a repeat performance this winter? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is being coy. Weather patterns are fickle right now so there is no clear sign of another great snow — or drought — season ahead.

Most Sierra resorts plan to open, conditions permitting, this month. Mammoth Mountain, for example, opened on Nov. 9. With its high base elevation, Mt. Rose got an early start and opened Oct. 25 with one lift and several trails.

Forecasts often do not seem to matter anyway, according to Mike Reitzell, president of Ski California.

“It has been pointed out,” he said, “that most of the forecasts for the Sierra were dead wrong last year. The snowfall was supposed to be below average but we ended up well above average.”

He noted two trends contributing to last season’s excellent numbers. For the first time, visitors arriving with season passes surpassed the number of guests buying daily tickets. The price of passes has come down so much — and daily ticket tabs have risen — that after three or four days on the snow at a particular resort, the rest of the days there are essentially free.

And after snowboarder visits tumbled earlier this decade, snowboarder guests were up for the fourth straight year and are now back at previous levels.

Many visitors to the Lake Tahoe area bed down in Truckee. In December, the 114-room Marriott Spring Hill Suites Hotel will open within walking distance of the historic downtown. This is the first new hotel to open there since the early 2000s.

So what’s new for skiers and riders at the resorts this winter?

Well, you won’t see a lot more new lifts and runs. Most of the resorts are pretty well filled out with lifts and trails already.

But you will see a number of new restaurants and bars, more snowmaking, fat tire bikes on the cross country trails at Kirkwood, a 13-foot mini-pipe at Sugar Bowl, snowshoe hikes at Tahoe Donner Cross Country and a dog race at the Tahoe Donner downhill area, among other attractions.

Reitzell explained that the resorts “are focusing on making sure that guests have a good experience regardless of the snowfall or weather.”

The only new chairlift opening this season in the Northern Sierra is a $10 million detachable, high-speed quad chair at Alpine Meadows called the Treeline Cirque chairlift. It promises to dramatically improve the skiing and riding experience at Squaw’s sister resort.

The lift will transport guests from the base area to Sherwood Ridge in just five minutes. Right now, to get up there it will take you two or three lifts. So this new lift, scheduled to open in December or January, will reduce your ride time by a whopping 35 to 40 minutes.

After four minutes of the ride, you can get off at a mid-station point and sample the mostly lower intermediate runs in Sherwood Bowl. Or you can ride for another minute to the top and ski the expert runs in several bowls including South Face or Big Bend or drop down into expert terrain on the front side.

About the only other new lift for the mountains this winter is being built at Sugar Bowl. This is a 240-foot covered surface lift designed to protect skiers and riders from the elements. It replaces the the old Flume surface lift.

Snowboarders likely will rush to Sugar Bowl this season to hop in the new 13-foot mini-pipe going up and a top-to-bottom terrain park with all new features including a 20-foot chubbie box and a 10-foot wallride.

An expanded terrain park and improved snowmaking capabilities were among the off-season updates at Diamond Peak in the Lake Tahoe area. (Photo courtesy Ski California)

Here’s a look at several resorts which have made notable changes since last season:

Mammoth Mountain: A new bar-restaurant opens in Canyon Lodge with other new eateries to open also. Some $1.3 million was spent to expand the snowmaking network.

Boreal: A new on-mountain dining experience dubbed the Hub & Spoke will open. An RFID ticketing system is being installed, a women’s snowboard park camp will operate in April and Woodward Tahoe will offer a number of new programs for freestyle skiers and riders.

Diamond Peak: This Nevada resort has expanded its terrain park and beefed up its snowmaking system.

Heavenly: Look for events that allow you to ski and ride down the peak with the ski patrol after the lifts close.

Homewood: This lakeside resort has doubled its snowmaking capabilities and will for the first time offer backcountry and snowcat guide training to guests.

Kirkwood: The resort will have fat tire bikes on hand for guests to explore 37 miles of groomed trails at the Kirkwood Cross Country and Snowshoe Center.

Mt. Rose: An additional $1.5 million was poured into on-mountain improvements including more snowmaking and a new RFID ticketing system which means skiers can leave their tickets in their pockets when they go through the lift gates.

Northstar: A high-end Michael Mina Bourbon Pub Northstar will open. It’s a must-stop for foodies who can dine on truffle tater tots and cheddar brats wrapped in puff pastry.

Sierra-at-Tahoe: Get on the slopes faster this season with an RFID ticketing system.

Squaw Valley: The new Tram Car Bar opens on the Olympic House deck. This is a restored 1970s era Squaw Valley tram cabin. And the new Tremigo Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar will open near the lifts in the village.

And if you are in the Lake Tahoe area in mid-December, drop into the Tahoe Donner downhill area on Dec. 15 — customer appreciation day. Lift tickets are just $15.

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sie

Snow alert! Fresh powder will be served all weekend in Lake Tahoe

It was a winter wonderland today at the Village of Northstar, where a trio of skaters had the 9,000-square-foot ice skating rink apparently all to themselves. (Northstar photo)

A snowy winter wonderland enveloped the Village of Northstar, where earlier today three skaters seemed to have the 9,000-square-foot ice skating rink all to themselves. (Northstar photo)

Just what skiers and snowboarders have been wanting: snow, snow and more snow.

Here’s the latest from the slopes in the Lake Tahoe area. Check back for updates.

Northstar: “Heavy, intense” snowfall was reported Friday afternoon. New accumulation was expected to reach 4-8 inches overnight, with 6-12 inches coming Sunday and another 5-10 inches on Monday.

Sierra-at-Tahoe: 3 inches of snowfall since the storm started late Friday morning and, according to a resort spokeswoman, “We expect to receive much more overnight.”

Lake Tahoe resorts score big during the holidays

By Bob Goligoski

Blessed by early December snow storms and sunny bluebird days during the Christmas-New Year’s Day span, Lake Tahoe area resorts saw the biggest holiday crowds in four years.

“The ski resort business in the Sierra over the holiday period was up substantially over last year, and the resorts had more people coming since the holiday season in 2010-2011,” said Bob Roberts, CEO of the California Ski Industry Association.

Cold nighttime temperatures during most of December allowed the resorts to generate plenty of additional snow with snow-making systems that resorts have been expanding in recent years.

A report from Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows corporate headquarters was typical of comments from Sierra resorts. “With all of the early season snow – 110 inches total at 8,000-feet in December – we saw great crowds over the holidays and New Year’s, including locals driving to the resorts and visitors staying in the Village at Squaw Valley,” said Melissa Brouse Matheney, a spokeswoman for Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows. “We were even able to run the aerial tram until 7 p.m. Dec. 27-30 so guests could get some turns in under the lights.”

In years gone by, many Sierra ski resorts collected a third of their annual revenue during the Christmas holiday season. But now, explained Roberts, a resort may generate half of its annual ticket sales with the early season sale of annual lift passes.

Many skiers and riders have discovered that if they only get out on the slopes five or six days a season, that pretty well pays for the price of an annual pass, he added.

All of the 27 ski resorts in the association had enough snow to open for the holiday season.

California ski, snowboard resorts get a Halloween treat: snow!

The Village at Squaw Valley became a winter wonderland this morning as several inches of snow fell at the resort and throughout the Lake Tahoe area. (Squaw Valley photo)

The Village at Squaw Valley became a winter wonderland this morning as several inches of snow fell at the resort and elsewhere in the Lake Tahoe area. (Squaw Valley photo)

About the time kids were trick-or-treating on Friday night, mountain resorts throughout California were starting to get a special treat: snow. In some cases, it was the first white stuff of the season, raising hopes that the lengthy drought – fingers crossed – will come to an end this winter. There certainly was lots of excitement to go around:

Mountain High: The first snow of the season fell this morning at Mountain High Resort giving the area a crisp glow and solidifying the coming of winter. Traditionally, Mountain High opens in mid-November but it all depends on the season. Three times in the past 10 years, the Wrightwood resort has opened in October. Mountain High’s 10-year average is a Nov. 16 opening. For a gallery of “first snow of the season” photos, click here.

Heavenly: Winter has arrived at Tahoe, and Heavenly Mountain Resort received 3 inches of new snow overnight. 

Northstar: Three inches of fresh snow has accumulated and snow continues to fall. Temperatures have remained in the low 20s and the mountain’s snowmaking team has activated Northstar’s state-of-the-art snowmaking system. The National Weather Service has forecast an 80 percent chance of snow throughout the remainder of the day and into the evening, with expected additional accumulation of up to 3 inches. Snow showers are predicted for Sunday at a 20 percent chance.

Sierra-at-Tahoe: The resort received as much as 6 inches of snow overnight in the base area near the new Solstice Plaza. Early season snowfall is a reminder that winter and the ski and snowboard season are right around the corner.

Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows: The winter storm sweeping through the Sierra Nevada has brought 10 inches of fresh snow to Alpine Meadows’ upper mountain and 6 inches to Squaw Valley by late Saturday morning, with snow continuing to fall at both mountains. This is the first significant snowfall of the 2014-15 winter season, and comes less than a month before Squaw Valley’s scheduled opening date of Nov. 26. Alpine Meadows is expected to open on Dec. 12.

Sierra-at-Tahoe’s 2014-15 passes come with a bonus for this season.

Home to 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort has a deal for those who purchase a 2014-15 Keepin’ It Real Unlimited Season Pass: free skiing the rest of the 2014 season at the resort and also at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

Sierra-at-Tahoe is offering the Keepin’ It Real Unlimited Season Pass for $289 through April 30. The price increases by up to $100 starting May 1 (earlier, if quantities run out).

Along with free skiing and riding at Sierra-at-Tahoe, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, passholders can enjoy free skiing/riding in much of the Western U.S. with The Powder Alliance. Those resorts include Angel Fire Resort, Arizona Snowbowl, Bridger Bowl, China Peak, Crested Butte, Mountain High, Mt. Hood Skibowl, Snowbasin, Schweitzer, Stevens Pass and Timberline.

Season passholders will automatically be enrolled into a free membership that earns points toward free lessons, rentals, lunch and other bonuses.

Information: www.sierraattahoe.com or 530-659-7453.

Dropping in for a Sochi to California comparison on vertical descents

Sochi Downhill

We’ve been watching a lot of NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage – speed skating, slopestyle skiing, halfpipe, hockey – and have been wrapped up in much of it.

A few minutes ago, @NBCOlympics posted on Twitter the image above with course info on the downhill portion of the men’s super combined. The vertical drop of 3,205 feet caught our attention, and we thought it would be worth checking http://mountainvertical.com to see how the mountains near Sochi compare with the ski resorts in California. Here’s what we found:

Mammoth: 2,885
Heavenly: 2,735
Squaw Valley: 2,389
June Mountain: 2,420
Northstar-at-Tahoe: 2,276
Diamond Peak: 1,741
Bear Mountain: 1,665
Mt. Rose: 1,635
Homewood: 1,625
Kirkwood: 1,622
Sierra-at-Tahoe: 1,590
Mountain High: 1,588
Alpine Meadows: 1,555

The best U.S. match to the 3,205 vertical descent of the mountain where the Olympics competition is happening now is the Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort – the area where the 1932 Winter Olympics took place.

– Jerry Rice

Sierra-at-Tahoe ups its game for the 2013-14 snow season

After a day of hot-doggin' it on the slopes this winter at Sierra-at-Tahoe, skiers will have a new plaza area where they can boast about the day's exploits with friends. (Sierra-at-Tahoe photo by Nathan Vetter)

After a day of hot-doggin’ it on the slopes this winter at Sierra-at-Tahoe, skiers will have a new plaza area where they can boast about the day’s exploits with friends. (Sierra-at-Tahoe photo by Nathan Vetter)

Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort has several new additions for the 2013-14 season that will offer guests an enhanced on-mountain and overall experience.

A new 9,000-square-foot structure and plaza will improve the base area experience, enhance the overall après atmosphere, and give guests a place to gather and celebrate winter in the mountains. The Burton Star Wars Experience continues to grow with the Burton Star Wars Echo Base, a learning experience for kids ages 7-12. The Powder Alliance offers unlimited season passholders free skiing at 11 other resorts. And, in the spring there will be a new concert series. The details:

Base Area Plaza
Sierra-at-Tahoe has invested $4.5 million into a new facility located at the base of the mountain that transforms the current skier services area into a mecca for gathering and services that improve the overall skier/boarder experience. The new plaza will include 9,000 square feet of indoor space with retail options, a demo center, and new restaurant. Outside, guests will be able to enjoy a large deck area with fire pits, live music, and lounge chairs where guests can watch the action on the mountain, or reminisce about the day’s events.

Burton Star Wars Echo Base
Building off of the success of Yoda’s Riglet Park, the Burton Star Wars Echo Base now offers a snowboarding program for kids ages 7-12. The new Burton Star Wars Echo Base gives kids 7-12 the opportunity to learn how to snowboard using terrain-based teaching, iconic Star Wars characters, and Burton Learn to Ride technology and techniques. Young snowboarders will get the chance to “defeat the dark side” and become Jedi knights by conquering their fears of sliding on snow. Kids will learn to snowboard in a one-of-a-kind environment unlike any other in the universe.

Powder Alliance
Sierra-at-Tahoe has joined the Powder Alliance, which includes some of the greatest powder stashes in the West. Sierra Resort unlimited passholders will get free skiing and boarding benefits at 11 other mountains: Crested Butte, Snowbasin, Stevens Pass, Timberline, Schweitzer, China Peak, Mountain High, Arizona Snowbowl, Mt. Hood Skibowl, Angel Fire Resort, and Bridger Bowl.

The membership applies to top-tier, anytime passes. Tickets are valid Sunday through Friday, non-holiday, and must be used during the 2013-14 season. Sierra Resort guests can visit www.sierraattahoe.com/powderalliance for a list of holiday dates and resort benefits.

Spring concert series
This spring, Sierra-at-Tahoe will host a foot-stomping, energetic music series featuring live music from top regional touring music acts. Produced by OnCourse Events and sponsored by Tahoe South, the music series will take place in the new base area plaza and feature bands that will play on three select weekends in the spring. The concerts will give guests a chance to enjoy live music, après, dance, and relax after a fun day on the mountain.

Sierra-at-Tahoe boasts 480 inches of average annual snowfall, wind-protected slopes, incredible tree skiing, and 320 acres of backcountry terrain out the Huckleberry Gates. For beginner skiers and riders, Sierra Resort is home to the world’s only Burton Star Wars Experience, has more than 100 acres of dedicated terrain, four beginner-only conveyor lifts, a $45 adult beginner package, and PSIA-certified instructors. For freestylers, a commitment to innovative terrain parks has led to Sierra Resort being recognized by TransWorld SNOWboarding as a Top 10 Overall Resort as well as among the Top 10 Best Parks and Pipes in the nation.

Information: www.sierraattahoe.com and 530-659-7453.

On a taxing day, Sierra-at-Tahoe celebrates its customers

Sierra-at-Tahoe will give skiers and riders one last chance to shred during its annual Customer Appreciation Day on April 15 (a.k.a. “tax day”).

Skiers and riders of all ages can purchase a lift ticket for $25. All proceeds raised from the day’s lift ticket sales will be donated to sponsor youth recreation and education, including baseball, soccer, swimming and other youth activities.

Sierra Resort will operate a limited number of lifts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including Grandview and Easy Rider. All guests are invited to join John Rice, the resort’s general manager, and the rest of Sierra Resort’s managing team for the official “last run of the season” from the top of Grandview Express beginning at 2 p.m. Last call at the Sierra Pub will be at 2:45 p.m., in time for the ending of all winter operations at 3 p.m.

Passes for the 2013-14 season will be on sale that day. Prices: $279 for adults, $239 for ages 13-22 and college students (proof of six fall 2013 credits), and $109 for children ages 5-12 and seniors (70 and older).

Information: www.sierraattahoe.com

Force is strong at Sierra-at-Tahoe

Yoda welcomes youngsters to Sierra-at-Tahoe’s Burton Star Wars camp. (Sierra-at-Tahoe photo)

The Force is strong at Sierra-at-Tahoe for Younglings and Padawans this winter in Yoda’s Riglet Park at Wild Mountain Children’s Center. The Burton Star Wars Experience uses the beloved intergalactic saga to help children ages 3-6 make their first snowboard turns using Burton’s innovative Riglet Reel Technology.

This singular on-mountain experience is filled with visuals from the Star Wars galaxy and combines Burton’s industry-leading technology with Jedi Master Yoda’s teaching methods – movement, navigation and control.

Younglings and Padawans will learn using the ways of the Force through interactive drop in nodes showcasing custom-made wood carvings of R2-D2, C-3P0, Chewbacca and more. Availability is limited and may sell out on a daily basis; reservations are strongly recommended. For more information, call 530-543-3150.