Sugar Bowl ski resort will open Friday (Dec. 1), kicking off the venerable resort’s 85th anniversary season.
Rich in history and known for its high snow totals, Sugar Bowl is located off Interstate 80 at the Norden exit and is the closest Tahoe ski resort to Sacramento.
Sugar Bowl will open with beginner and intermediate terrain accessible via the Jerome Hill Express and White Pine chairlifts, plus the Flume Moving Carpet. Sugar Bowl will have two runs open for top top-to-bottom skiing and snowboarding.
There will also be a small beginner park on Caboose with five to six features. The resort will be open daily as conditions permit and may be aided by possible snowfall Thursday (Nov. 30).
Originally scheduled for a Nov. 24 opening, the resort had to push back the date. However, snowmaking conditions since the Thanksgiving holiday have been good and has Sugar Bowl hoping to expand its terrain as quickly as possible.
“Our team is thrilled to get the 2023-24 winter season underway, and to welcome our community back to the mountain,” said Bridget Legnavsky, Sugar Bowl Resort president and CEO. “We’ll open with limited terrain. However, we anticipate opening more quickly as snow and conditions permit.”
FIRST CHAIR FUN: At the Jerome Express Hill lift, early birds lined up for their first chair of the season will be rewarded. The first 50 people in line will receive a custom Blackstrap x Sugar Bowl neck tube as part of Blackstrap’s First chair Project.
There will be music to keep the vibe going while anxious skiers and riders wait for the first chair of the season. From 10:30 am-to 1:30p m, DJ Chango will be spinning on the Sundeck. The resort will also be baking a few dozen trays of Sugar Bowl Sugar Cookies to share.
Beginning Friday, ski lessons, rentals and retail operations will be available, with a special $149 First-Timer package (limited lift ticket, lesson and rentals) offered Monday through Friday, non-holiday. In addition, the resort will offer $99 discounted adult lift tickets until more terrain is open.
Also starting Dec.1, guests seeking a Sugar Bowl Village experience can book a room at the Lodge, enjoy a cocktail at the Belt Room Bar or enjoy a wine dinner in the Dining Room.
KIRKWOOD OPENING: The ski resort, located off Highway 88 near South Lake Tahoe, will also make Friday its opening day. With Kirkwood and Sugar Bowl debuting, the count is now six Tahoe ski resorts open.
Kirkwood becomes the third Vail Resort in Tahoe to open for the 2023-24 season. Heavenly opened Nov. 21 and two days later Northstar California began running its lifts.
SIERRA-AT-TAHOE UPDATE: Due to a lack of suitable conditions, the resort off Highway 50 near South Lake Tahoe has pushed back its planned opening this week. There is no new opening date as of Wednesday.
“We are one good storm away from opening for the 2023-24 winter season, but will be postponing our tentatively scheduled Dec. 2 opening until Mother Nature turns on the snow spigot,” a Sierra-at-Tahoe email stated.
PALISADES TAHOE EXPANDS TERRAIN: The resort announced that this weekend it will add additional terrain at Palisades and the Alpine side of the mountain.
Palisades, which received an area-best 723 inches of snow last season, is adding the Funitel, Gold Coast, Red Dog and Resort chair. The First Venture was open last weekend. The three new runs at Alpine are Subway, Meadow and Big Carpet.
TAHOE SKI RESORT OPENINGS
- Mt. Rose: opened Nov. 10
- Boreal: opened Nov. 17
- Heavenly: opened Nov. 21
- Palisades Tahoe: opened Nov. 22
- Northstar California: opened Nov. 23
- Soda Springs: opened Nov. 24
- Sugar Bowl: Dec. 1
- Kirkwood: Dec. 1
- Diamond Peak: Dec. 7
- Granlibakken: Dec. 15
- Sierra-at-Tahoe: Dec.
- Homewood: TBA
- Tahoe Donner: TBA
