Tahoe City, CA – Following a 2009-10 season of near-record snowfall and skier visits, Lake Tahoe area ski resorts head into the 2010-11 winter season with new resort improvements and guest amenities. Guests will find new interactive technologies to aid the on-mountain experience, a first-of-its-kind in North America youth lift safety system, new high-flying attractions and new beginner-friendly terrain and lifts.nAlpine Meadows will join other U.S. ski resorts this winter, including Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin, in in installing the first Magnestick children’s chairlift safety systems in the U.S. this winter. The new technology uses an electromagnetic seatback and magnetic vest worn by children riding a chair lift. This latest announcement continues the resort’s technological offerings such as the flaik GPS tracking system for children, radio frequency identification (RFID) chair lift gates, reloadable lift ticketing capabilities from home, and the all new Alpine Club Fast Trax program, which allows members to purchase a lift ticket simply by skiing through an RFID gate.
The resort will also unveil a newly expanded children’s indoor center including interactive educational stations for kids and automated registration stations for parents; as well as a new outdoor snow play area including the addition of a new magic carpet surface lift, multiple tubing lanes and a mini terrain park. Alpine Meadows also plans to expand its groomed surfaces to new areas of the mountain this winter.
Heavenly Mountain Resort has begun construction on its new 14,980-square-foot Tamarack Lodge located mid-mountain at the top of Heavenly’s Gondola. Slated for completion in February of 2011, the lodge will offer 500 indoor seats along with 250 outdoor patio seats and completes Heavenly’s Adventure Peak family recreation area, where guests can enjoy enjoying snowshoeing, ski biking, sledding and Heavenly’s Super Tubing Hill. The Tamarack Lodge is the latest component of Heavenly’s revitalization over the past eight years which has included new and upgraded lifts, increased snowmaking and grooming, additional on-mountain amenities and improvements.
Heavenly Mountain Resort recently unveiled the new EpicMix technology, an online and mobile application which will allow guests to capture their ski and ride experience and digitally share it with friends and family. EpicMix will record the activity of guests using radio frequency (RF) scanners installed at each of the resort’s chairlifts and automatically calculate vertical feet, number of days skied and other achievements by reading RF-enabled chips embedded in season passes and reloadable lift tickets. Guests can then log in to view and share results on social networks as well as post private messages and locate friends on the mountain, including a real-time locator for parents with children.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s new ZipTahoe Treetop Canopy Tour seeks to offer new thrills high above the slopes this season through more than 10 zip lines, aerial spans, bridge networks and a final zip line that will whisk guests over skiers and snowboarders while descending over 1,100 feet. This new offering is one of a number of new family-focused attractions housed in the resort’s new High Alpine Adventure Center including tubing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, dogsledding, evening snowcat tours, sleigh rides and snowmobile tours. The resort also offers a new “Daycare Dilemma” lift ticket allowing parents to split shifts on the slopes and a new “Intro to Snow” program that gives toddlers an active alternative to traditional daycare.
Improvements aimed at increasing resort capacity include upgrades to the resort’s food and beverage outlets, new parking lots and a facelift to the resort’s chairlifts. Kirkwood will once again host the North American Freeskiing Championships and the North Face Masters of Snowboarding showcasing many of the best skiers and snowboarders in the world. New this season, Kirkwood will also be one of the stops on the new Banzai Series inspired by U.S. Olympian Daron Rahlves that blends skier/boarder cross with a traditional downhill race.
Fresh off its first season of operations at Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe, the panoramic new Winters Creek Lodge will benefit from a new sustainability initiative including three “extreme energy windspires” along the lodge’s walkway that will help offset energy costs to the new facility while contributing to a greener environment. Located only 25 minutes away from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe continues to partner with a number of resort casino properties to offer some of the most affordable stay-and-ski packages in the entire country starting at $79 per person. The resort is also in the process of launching a new application for smartphones that will feature an interactive trail map, current conditions and allow guests to save time and money purchasing products online.
This season will mark the first full year of operations for the recently completed Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe located mid-mountain at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort with access to the Village at Northstar via the new Highlands Gondola. Northstar has announced a number of new stores and outlets as additions to the Village at Northstar including the expansion of its demo shop, and a hands-on pottery studio. The resort also upgraded its fleet of rental equipment with the latest offerings from leading manufacturers.
On the slopes, guests can experience a handful of new instructional programs designed for advanced skiers and snowboarders to explore the resort’s Backside and Lookout Mountain. In addition, the resort plans to expand its women-specific snowboarding clinics to include successful techniques once taught exclusively as part of the Burton Snowboard Academy. Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort has also been chosen to host the spectator-friendly Nordic Super Tour in mid-March, the premiere cross-country race series in North America.
“We continue to be focused on providing our guests with activities and conveniences that make their time spent with family and friends here enjoyable, memorable and fun,” said Chris Ryman, President of Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort. “Improvements made in the Village at Northstar, to our instruction programs and equipment offerings will we hope, make it that much easier for guests to have a good day at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort.”
Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort continues to improve upon the experience for beginners with the addition of two new surface lifts for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Totaling 700 feet, the two new carpet conveyor lifts will allow beginning skiers and snowboarders to access 11 acres of sculpted “Smart Terrain” that has shortens the learning curve for beginners. The resort has also announced the return of its popular $35 Learn to Ski or Ride package for adult beginners.
Squaw Valley USA guests can celebrate with resident Olympic athletes on “Ski with Jonny Days” when Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley takes guests on complimentary tours of his favorite runs and with recently-crowned Olympic medalist, Julia Mancuso, who will host a spring event. The resort will expand its night skiing and has also created a new mountaintop kids terrain park, complete with a snow fort, kid-friendly jumps, whoopty-doos and even a new kids-specific trail map.
Squaw Valley USA has significantly upgraded the mountain’s dining facilities and base village. The Olympic House base lodge has been remodeled to include an upgraded bar and redesigned menu. The resort has also completed the final stage of its more than $3 million renovation to the Gold Coast Lodge located at the top terminal of the resort’s Funitel. Other upgrades include an extensive remodel of the Olympic Village Lodge & Conference Center, renovations to the Squaw Kids Children’s Center, and upgrades to the resort’s snowmaking system. Squaw Valley USA will also welcome a host of new shops to its village including a new demo center and three new retail stores.
Off the mountains and around the lake, close to a dozen new restaurants are slated to open around the shores of Lake Tahoe this year and the region continues to draw big-name entertainers such as Elton John, Kenny Chesney, Stevie Nicks and Snoop Dogg. The slopes surrounding Lake Tahoe will once again play host to elaborate New Year’s Eve celebrations ranging from unique restaurant and nightclub parties to massive outdoor block parties within walking distance of lodging establishments.
While many airports have been forced to reduce or discontinue air service through the changing economy, Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RTIA), the air gateway to the Lake Tahoe region actually increased the number of airlines and added 17 new flights this year, including additional service from the East Coast. The recently remodeled airport now offers 72 daily departures to 15 non-stop cities and one-stop service to many locations. Located less than an hour from the slopes, RTIA has never experienced a closure due to snow and the discounted airfare and “Bags Fly Free” policy of its dominant carrier, Southwest Airlines, resonates well with skiers and snowboarders.