Reno, NV – What comes to mind when you think of Nevada? Likely
it’s the kitsch and neon of Vegas, but it might be dry deserts, lonely
roads, houseboats on Lake Mead, missile ranges, Wayne Newton, or even legalized
prostitution. But skiing? Not in most people’s heads. Nevada is a desert,
after all … right?

n

Not all of it.  Even heli-skiing is available in the Ruby Mountains, smack
dab in the middle of nowhere southeast of Elko, out toward the Utah desert. 
Remember, however, that the famed Lake Tahoe is split in half by the California/Nevada
boundary.  While places like Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows and Heavenly are generally
household names in most sliders’ homes, others such as Mt. Rose and Diamond
Peak may not carry such a familiar ring.  For most out of town visitors, the
easiest point of access to the Tahoe region is via the Reno/Lake Tahoe International
Airport, and the most direct route to the shores of the jewel of the Sierra
is along Nevada Route 431, also known as the Mt. Rose Highway – right past the
closest ski resort to Reno: Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe.

Accordingly, Mt. Rose is the home hill for many Reno- based skiers and snowboarders. 
While Mt. Rose proper looms high above the Carson Valley, the ski area drapes
across two sides of Slide Mountain, a geographic monolith immediately south
of Rose.  Together, they dominate the valley’s skyline. 

The identity crisis of quality skiing in Nevada has long plagued Mt. Rose. 
“We always like to push how close (to Lake Tahoe) we are … for instance,
it’s Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe,” emphasized Marketing Director Mike Pierce. 
“Most people perceive Reno as just another Vegas out in the middle of the
desert.”

The problem is further compounded by the fact that Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe has been
variously known by other names over the years.  Commencing operations in 1965,
the ski resort was known by names such as Reno Ski Bowl and Mt. Rose Ski Bowl. 
In fact, the East Bowl section of the ski area, looming directly above Washoe
Lake and its desert-dry shores, was once operated as a separate ski area under
the moniker Slide Mountain.  Despite the fact that their lifts nearly touched
at the summit, the two ski areas tolerated a contentious relationship until
Mt. Rose purchased Slide Mountain Ski Area in 1987 and integrated its estranged
cousin into their own trail network.

A third ski area was at one time woven into Mt. Rose’s lift and trail
network, too.  Sky Tavern, now owned by the City of Reno and Washoe County,
and operated by a volunteer Board of Directors as the Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program,
used to connect with the Mt. Rose Ski Area via the Ringer chairlift which spanned
Bum’s Gulch and crossed the Mt. Rose Highway a short distance below Mt. Rose
Ski Tahoe’s current Main Lodge.  The rusting hulk of a single remaining
lift tower still stands right next to the pavement.  Gary Cooper, Lowell Thomas,
Levi Strauss, Ingrid Bergmen, Norma Shearer and Rita Hayworth were among the
rich and famous to visit Sky Valley during its early years, when at least one
publication referred to it as a second Sun Valley during the 1940s.  While the
Sky Tavern Junior Ski Program currently serves over 2,500 children each operating
weekend, lift tickets are no longer sold to day skiers.

Arriving at Lake Tahoe late the prior evening, I hadn’t been given the
opportunity to view Mt. Rose’s lifts and slopes before I climbed the highway
from Incline Village early one Thursday morning in January.  A long, steady
grade yielded increasingly impressive vistas of the aquamarine Tahoe waters
and the slopes of Diamond Peak below before the stunning ramparts of Mt. Rose
(proper) came into view.  The road’s summit, the highest all-season mountain
pass in the Sierras, featured numerous tracks of backcountry skiers and snowboarders
descending to the highway’s shoulders from both sides, and a large high-alpine
meadow just to the south contained a trail network for cross-country and snowshoe
enthusiasts, as well as some happy golden retrievers and children on snow saucers.  
After a few quick switchbacks on the other side of the road’s height of
land, I pulled into the ski resort’s parking lot.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe’s personality readily became apparent.  This is a family
hill, a local’s hill, yet one where visitors are treated with equal hospitality. 
No one is going to travel thousands of miles to ski only Mt. Rose, yet a visit
to the Tahoe region is somehow incomplete without carving turns down Slide Mountain’s
flanks. 

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe well recognizes its position in the food chain.  “We’re
a gateway resort to Tahoe," explained Pierce. "It’s the first and
last day of a ski trip when somebody’s flying in. Tahoe’s got it’s destination
resorts, and it’ll be a long time until Mt. Rose is perceived as a multi-day
destination. You’ve got to know where you are, and our niche right now is two
things: we’re convenient to our locals, and we’re also convenient to tourists
looking for something different, not that full, huge expensive deal.” 

To accommodate such sliders, both morning and afternoon lift tickets are available
for the convenience of travelers arriving in Reno in the morning or leaving
in the afternoon. No lodging is available directly at the resort, and the closest
options are down in Reno to the north, or in Incline Village or King’s
Beach on Lake Tahoe’s shores to the south.  The low-key, relaxed atmosphere
is nearly reason enough to utilize Mt. Rose as an escape for a day from the
madness at some of its neighbors, especially on the weekends.

I repeatedly enjoyed the company of Reno skiers as I yo-yo’d the Main
Lodge face of the ski resort’s trail map.  People were pleasant and folksy,
and proud of their local hill.  “It’s close, it’s convenient, and everyone
grows up and skis here … it’s a nice little area, convenient for locals,”
explained Reno native Steve, one of my chairlift companions.

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe sports 1,440 vertical feet on both the Main Lodge and East
Bowl sides of the hill.  A single fixed-grip quadruple chairlift carries skiers
to the summit of East Bowl, while the Main Lodge face is served by a detachable
high-speed six-pack, one fixed-grip quad and two triples.  At
8,260 feet, the resort has the highest base elevation of any Tahoe-area ski
mountain, often yielding lighter and drier snow than its counterparts during
warm spells or in the Spring, or it may be snowing at Mt. Rose while rain pelts
the base areas of its neighbors. "As high as we are, if a warm Spring storm
comes in and it’s raining somewhere else, we always get snow. We sit higher
than some of Squaw’s peaks in our parking lot," Pierce reasoned.

The East Bowl side has terrain only for intermediate and advanced skiers and
snowboarders, and reportedly houses some of the resort’s most interesting
skiing.  “You don’t get a full taste for this place unless you’re on the
backside,” explained Pierce. "The tree skiing alone is some of the
best of the Lake. The trees are just immaculate over there." Alas, some
time had elapsed since the last storm, and at the time of my January visit,
East Bowl needed another foot or so to get the bullwheel on its quad turning.

Skiing on the Main Lodge side, however, was far from boring.  Runs such as
Express and the popular Northwest Passage were buffed by the groomers for high-speed
cruising, and Waterfall, Six-Gun and Greg’s Gamble were a side-by-side
trio of zipper-line bumpers.  Many of the advanced runs accessible via the detachable
six-place chair drain into Mt. Rose’s novice terrain, an unfortunate consequence
for less-skilled skiers and snowboarders as many folks speed past the “Slow
Skiing Area” signs to return to the chair. 

Determined to start the day with a warm-up, I headed toward Upper Ramsey’s
(incidentally, named after Sky Tavern founders Keston & Carlisle Ramsey)
to take in the view of Lake Tahoe to the south as the cruiser wraps around to
far skier’s left from the summit, but was enticed by steep glades which
dropped off the catwalk to skier’s right.  Unable to resist temptation,
I dove in, finding old, but still soft snow, with the occasional questionable
lump in the surface barely concealing some sharp rocks below.  Enchanted by
what I had found, I continued on my trajectory across the Kit Carson Traverse
and into steep trees between Greg’s Gamble and Ramsey’s, delightfully
spaced conifers with a consistent fall line concealing some remaining fresh
lines, even though the last major storm occurred more than a week earlier. 
Upon reaching Ponderosa in the novice area, I followed the greens back to the
chair for another lap. 

The detachable six, new for the 2000-2001 season, along with the non-existent
crowds allowed one to rack up considerable vertical in a relatively short period
of time.  It covers its 1,440 vertical feet in only 3½ minutes. It wasn’t
long before I opted to forego the amazing vistas of the brown desert below,
with the Pine Nut Mountains and Desert Mountains ranges further east, in favor
of a relaxing lunch on Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe’s spacious sundeck at the Main
Lodge.  The lodge is thoughtfully designed, including same-level restrooms (why
is that so rare?!) and a separate Mexican foodservice within the bar area. 
I chose an authentic chile verde burrito, and enjoyed it while bathing in the
warm sunshine on the deck.  True to form as it had been throughout the day,
I was enjoined in conversation by not one adjacent table, but by several, despite
the fact that I was seated alone.  Friendliness seems to be the rule at Mt.
Rose, not the exception.

Although its ski terrain was closed, I followed the access road to East Bowl,
itself an adrenaline-pumper thanks to precipitous drops into the valley below
off of which members of a local sky-surfing club hurl themselves for a lengthy
glide.  More sparsely treed than the Main Lodge side of the mountain, East Bowl
looked to contain some exciting terrain, from wide-open spaces on Silver Dollar
to intriguing woods skiing south of the lift.

If the plans at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe come to fruition, however, the resort’s
most challenging terrain will no longer be contained within East Bowl.  The
ski area is presently working with the Forest Service to include in its permit
area The Chutes, an off-limits avalanche zone between the East Bowl and Main
Lodge that has been the scene of many slides over the resort’s history,
including a fatal event in the 1970s.  The Mt. Rose Ski Patrol has been doing
snow control work in the area for the highway service for years, and by annexing
that section of the mountain to its current lease permit for East Bowl (the
Main Lodge side is owned outright), Mt. Rose will be instantly thrust into the
spotlight of some of Tahoe’s steepest steeps.  “Everyone wants to
know when the chutes are going to open," enthused Pierce. "That is
closer than it’s ever been, essentially we’ve worked out some of our lease issues
with the Forest Service on the backside, so that it will make acquiring that
to our given lease that much quicker. That was a permanent out of bounds area
for an awfully long time. It will change our view in Tahoe, and we’ll jump closer
to probably 1,400 acres."   Pierce speculates that the entire process could
be completed within the next two years.

Just in case you need yet one more reason to include Mt. Rose in your next
Tahoe outing, the resort offers several truly cheap midweek non-holiday specials,
including $20 Monday lift tickets with a Mt. Rose lift ticket from the preceding
Saturday or Sunday, Two-for-Tuesdays (2 for 1 lift tickets), $19 student Wednesdays,
$15 Ladies Day Thursdays and Runs ‘N Roses ($90 for two adults and two kids,
$100 during holidays) every day.  (All prices listed are valid for the 2000-2001
winter season.)

To extend the low-cost thinking beyond lift tickets to lodging and meals, look
no further than the casinos.  Many famous names from Las Vegas have joined native
Reno casinos, and Harrah’s, the Atlantis, the Flamingo, the Silver Legacy,
the Hilton, and others offer an abundance of low-cost hotel accommodations,
and Mt. Rose offers 7-day/week shuttle service from Reno twice daily. Except
for a ski bum’s interpretation of tomato soup (free hot water from the
cafeteria with condiment bar packets of ketchup, for the uninformed!), you’ll
never find cheaper ski-country eats than you will in the casinos of Reno or
Crystal Beach, where a complete prime rib dinner for $5.95 seems to be the standard. 
If gaming is your idea of après-ski, the choice seems simple enough.

Whether you’re looking for some cheap turns, a quick powder dose to or
from the airport, a diversion while gambling in Reno, an escape from the maddening
crowds, or a pleasant, laid-back atmosphere, Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe is a perfect
day to include in your Lake Tahoe plans.