Reno, NV –  A $23.5 million master plan proposed by Mt. Rose-Ski Tahoe that calls for new lifts, expanded terrain and new and rebuilt facilities was approved earlier this month by the Washoe County Board of Adjustment.

Set to be implemented over a 10-year period, the ski resort hopes to improve and expand lifts, trails, snowmaking and facilities at the ski resort between Reno and Lake Tahoe. The thrust of the proposal involves expansion of skiing and riding terrain onto a 99-acre parcel known as the Atoma terrain to expand the resort’s beginner offerings, connected to the rest of the resort by a new 3,500-foot return lift  and skier bridge that would cross the Mount Rose Highway. The existing Ponderosa and Galena Lifts would be combined into a single high-speed, 5,000 foot-long lift, the Lakeview lift would be extended and a new mountaintop restaurant would be added.

The project’s next step involves an environmental analysis to be submitted to officials of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which has already accepted the Atoma expansion plan for review. Mt. Rose officials say that they hope to begin implementing elements of the master plan next year. The Board of Adjustment stipulated that a major component of the plan be completed every five years to keep the approval active.