In an industry where the little guys are being gobbled up by the big, and individuality is disappearing, there’s one ski resort in California that refuses to sell out.
The family-owned Sugar Bowl Resort in Lake Tahoe is 100 percent community operated with the resorts home-owners also owning shares in the resort and steering its vision. It’s been this way for over 80 years since Sugar Bowl was founded and won’t be changing any time soon.
But this doesn’t mean it has ancient facilities and no good terrain. Sugar Bowl has serious chops, and the recent addition of a world-class terrain park for expert skiers and snowboarders is proof enough. The resort is also blessed with some of the steepest black terrain in the Tahoe region.
You’ll find said terrain amongst 1650 skiable acres about an hour’s drive from Reno airport in Nevada and neatly divided into 17% beginner, 45% intermediate and 38% advanced. Not that anyone is counting, it’s the kind of place where high fives are valued more than high vertical.
The Sugar Bowl glow-up
So how does sweet Sugar Bowl compete with the likes of its corporate neighbours Palisades Tahoe (Alterra) and Northstar (Vail Resorts)? And how does one of North America’s oldest resorts stay relevant in an age where skiers expect plenty of bells and whistles on and off the slopes?
Employ a Kiwi. Sugar Bowl CEO and President, Bridget Legnavsky, brought her visionary Kiwi prowess from her former home mountain of Cardrona, New Zealand to Sugar Bowl in 2022. She knows what she’s doing, having led the rebrand of both Cardrona and Treble Cone.
“You come here because you actually really appreciate the skiing,” Legnavsky says of her new home mountain.
“There’s nothing precious about Sugar Bowl. People are down to Earth and super friendly and super genuine and authentic.”
One of the strengths of resorts such as Sugar Bowl is that they don’t want to be another Alterra or Vail operation. Sugar Bowl attracts skiers and boarders who appreciate an experience that isn’t polished, streamlined or predictable. The fact guests are given the freedom to head into the backcountry with an Open Boundary Policy and uphill lift passes as well as an “up and out” option and backcountry guides earns Sugar Bowl the cred many corporates lack.
There’s no denying though that what corporate resorts lack in individuality, they arguably make up for in top-notch facilities. Let’s face it, none of us want to freeze on chairlifts that slowly inch over untouched powder.
Thankfully, Sugar Bowl’s management don’t want these things either.
They’re investing big bucks in creating the unicorn of resorts—that perfect blend of modern amenities, stellar terrain, and character.
The resort’s upgrades have already begun, with the renovation of rooms at The Sugar Bowl Lodge, as well as the restaurant and bar. The lodge lounge, with its stone fireplace, blonde timber, antler table lamps, has been returned to its original alpine styling but in a contemporary way.
“You had this intentional styling that’s really tasteful, beautiful but honest, and simple, so we’re really trying to bring that back,” says Legnavsky of the old school charm that locals love.
The next big-ticket job is replacing the aged garage used for overnight parking, and the sweet but old gondola that peacefully carries lodge guests over the village of Heidi-esque chalets and modern alpine architecture. Also to be replaced is the lodge’s large timber deck, which sits mere metres from Disney Express, the modern rendition of Disney Lift, the first chairlift in California. The deck will eventually have a meal service, with Euro-style blankets and fire pits, and there will be a high-end locker club underneath.
The main resort base will also be overhauled to offer a better day skier experience, with an upgraded dining, retail and rental experience, and there’ll be a new ‘beachfront’ at the beginner area for parents to watch their kids.
Sugar Bowl Parks – a new training ground
Ahead of the 2024-25 ski season, Sugar Bowl unveiled Sugar Bowl Parks, an athlete training zone for freestyle skiers and boarders. The goal is to support athletes so they can progress from local competition to international. Something Legnavsky was passionate about at Cardrona (now home to multiple Winter Olympic medalists and X Games legends).
You can rest assured the design is spot on too, Sugar Bowl partnered with veteran Aussie park designer/builder Charles Beckinsale of The Stomping Grounds together with Steve Petrie to create world class training opportunities. Riders can go from medium 25-foot jump lines to a 70-foot big air. You’ll find the park located on prime freestyle terrain at the heart of the resort, alongside an express lift.
Away from the parks, Legnavsky describes Sugar Bowl’s terrain as offering “outrageous skiing”.
“It has got seriously steep skiing and riding that you can scare yourself on,” she says.
Yet, there’s enough to keep intermediates entertained for days and a magic carpet and slow chair for beginners. Sugar Bowl also has almost 100 kilometres of Nordic terrain at Royal Gorge Cross Country Resort, the largest cross-country ski area in North America.
All of this is possible thanks to a community of passionate winter sportspeople who see the benefit of funding the projects.
* The writer travelled with assistance from Sugar Bowl Resort and Visit California
