Thanks to 13 inches of new snow on Wednesday night and Thursday, Sugar Bowl Resort will open its Mt. Disney chairlift on Saturday, Feb. 8, adding new terrain for skiers and riders.

The Donner Summit resort plans to operate seven lifts for top-to-bottom skiing and riding over the weekend, as heavy snow from a powerful storm continued to fall on the resort on Friday. Forecasters expect the highest elevations of Sugar Bowl Resort to be coated in more than 4 feet of new snow by Monday morning.

Sugar Bowl Resort plans to operate Mt. Disney, Mt. Lincoln, Jerome Hill, Christmas Tree, White Pine and Nob Hill chairlifts, as well as its gondola, over the weekend.

Information: www.sugarbowl.com

Sugar Bowl Resort will be hosting the Backcountry Ball – an evening of food, drink and music – to benefit the Sierra Avalanche Center on Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. It will feature a presentation by legendary big mountain snowboarder Jeremy Jones.

The event will be held at the resort’s Mt. Judah Lodge. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, and are available at www.sierraavalanchecenter.org.

Tickets include a pasta buffet dinner and live music by the Sierra Drifters, a four-piece Americana, roots rock band. Attendees who order Sugar Bowl Pale Ale at the cash bar will send $1 per beer in donations to the SAC.

Vendors will be showcasing the latest backcountry gear and a silent auction will feature prizes including an unrestricted season pass to Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge.

Jones will give a 30-minute presentation on backcountry terrain selection and big mountain riding. He has been featured in dozens of snowboard films and was selected as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2013. His last two Teton Gravity Research films, “Deeper” and “Further,” featured himself and team of backcountry riders accessing some of the world’s most intense big mountain snowboard terrain all on foot and by splitboard. Jones is currently filming for “Higher,” the last film of the backcountry snowboard trilogy that will feature terrain from the Sierra Nevada to the Himalaya.

Sugar Bowl Resort has hosted the Backcountry Ball for five years as a way to support the nonprofit Sierra Avalanche Center and its team of two full-time avalanche forecasters.

Sugar Bowl-Royal Gorge is holding its annual job fair on Saturday, Oct. 19, in the Coldstream Room at Judah Lodge.

A wide selection of positions are open in many departments, from terrain park, hotel, food and beverage, and more. Managers and supervisors will be conducting interviews from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Many positions will be offered at the time of the interview, “for those exceptional candidates exemplifying positive skills and attributes in line with Sugar Bowl’s long-standing dedication to delivering the highest guest service possible,” according to a press release.

Sugar Bowl employees enjoy free unrestricted season passes, discounted tickets for friends and family, 50 percent off food, discounted lessons and rentals, and more. Sugar Bowl also offers employee housing on property, as well as at Donner Summit Lodge, located 4 miles away, with a free shuttle to and from Donner Summit Lodge for those without transportation.

Information: www.sugarbowl.com/employment

Sugar Bowl is getting ready for winter with installation of the Crow’s Peak chairlift, which will provide skiers and boarders access to the Strawberry Fields area of the mountain. (Sugar Bowl Resort photo)

Sugar Bowl Resort is installing a new chair lift this summer, which will improve lift-serviced access to advanced and expert terrain on the west side of the resort.

The Crow’s Peak chairlift, a fixed-grip Dopplemayer triple, will provide lift-serviced skiing and riding in the Strawberry Fields area of the mountain, just below the Crow’s Nest Peak.

Currently, hike-to terrain accessed from the Disney Express Chair, the new Crow’s Peak chair will greatly improve fall line skiing, increasing the overall terrain and vertical for skiers to enjoy. With approval from the United States Forest Service in place as of last week, installation of the new chairlift is beginning so it will be ready for skiers and riders to enjoy during the 2013-14 ski season.

With a project cost of $3 million, it represents Sugar Bowl’s latest significant capital improvement to the resort, both on-mountain and around the base area. Sugar Bowl recently acquired Royal Gorge, North America’s largest cross country ski resort, bringing multiple XC ski trails directly into America’s only snowbound village, at the foot of the mountain.

The new lift’s bottom terminal will be located just above Royal Gorge’s Van Norden Meadow, physically bringing the two resorts closer together. At nearly 1,000 vertical feet, the new lift will run to the top of Crow’s Nest Peak, with the top terminal located just looker’s left of the peak itself.

The terrain enhancements will include two new groomed runs, tree skiing through glades, chutes and cliffs, and also provide a wind-protected area on inclement weather days.

2013-14 Sugar Bowl season passes are on sale starting at $299, with dual-resort Sugar Bowl/Royal Gorge season passes starting at $449. Information: www.sugarbowl.com and www.royalgorge.com

Sugar Bowl Resort will be closing for the season at the end of the day on Sunday. Spring skiing will be in full swing until then, with the summit snow depth at 118 inches and the base snow depth at 25 inches.

“We had a great year, from early season powder days to mid-season groomers and sunny spring days to wrap things up,” said John Monson, the resort’s director of sales and marketing. “Bringing Royal Gorge Cross Country back to its once and former glory this season was especially rewarding. We look forward to even more skiers and riders enjoying both resorts next year.”

One-day lift tickets purchased during the remainder of the current season can be used toward the purchase of a 2013-2014 season pass (up to an $80 value).

Sugar Bowl is hosting a weekend-long passholder appreciation party, April 13-14. All current and 2013-2014 pass holders are invited to enjoy live music with Lisa Phenix on Saturday at Judah Lodge. Also, enjoy a free barbecue at the Lodge from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

New and experienced skiers also can take advantage of general admission days through the remainder of the season. That means all day lift ticket holders can get free equipment rentals and a free two-hour lesson during their visit.

Sugar Bowl has been home to some of the foremost skiing and boarding races this season, including the finale of the Rahlves Banzai Tour and the Women’s and Men’s Freestyle Hill Climb race in the United States Ski & Snowboard Association SuperTour finals.

During the 2012-2013 season, Sugar Bowl Resort also assumed operations of Royal Gorge Cross Country Resort under an agreement with the Truckee Donner Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land. Royal Gorge is America’s largest cross country resort with about 6,000 acres of terrain and 200 kilometers of trails.

Information: www.sugarbowl.com or call 530-426-9000.